Turnabout Anniversary
by The Scollard
Summary: After a brutal murder occurs in prison, Apollo Justice is called upon to defend his former mentor Kristoph Gavin, right before the anniversary of his current boss' reinstatement to the bar. Finding himself in a battle of wits that threatens not only his life, but the lives of those closest to him, can Apollo make it out alive, much less find the truth?
1. Prologue

**Turnabout Anniversary**

 **By The Scollard**

 **Summary: With the one year anniversary of his mentor Phoenix Wright's reinstatement to the bar approaching, Apollo Justice is called upon to defend his former mentor and the man responsible for Wright's disbarment, Kristoph Gavin, after a brutal murder occurs in prison. Finding himself in a battle of wits with a dangerous mastermind and tangled in a web of lies that threatens not only his life, but the lives of the people closest to him, can Apollo make it out alive, much less find the truth?**

 **Prologue**

 _A sheet of blue paper._

"Lies…"

 _Chalk lines start appearing on the paper, drawing a large floor plan for a building._ _A building, but what for?_

"Conspiracy…"

 _In a room labeled "Warden's Office", a bald older man in a blue suit and a woman with long, black hair in red skirt and jacket are shaking hands, both smiling._

"The plans we make, the people we meet, the ideas that flash across our mind for a split second… They all come together."

 _Another office, the "Chief Psychologist's Office" to be precise, and inside, another man. Wearing a magenta suit, he sits on a chair, and adjusts his glasses._

"Everything we do… everything we intend to do… they're all part of the design."

 _In "Cell Block B", a young man wearing an orange prison jumpsuit lies flat on a bed, holding his hands behind his head, and staring up at the ceiling. He has a full head of black hair, pulled back tight in a long, thin ponytail._

"They all become pieces of the plan, supporting each other much like the walls of a building."

 _There is an area called only "Junction". Inside, a man in a beige suit, and dark sunglasses is talking on a cell phone. He is grinning._

"Everybody becomes part of the design."

 _A young woman wearing a white lab coat is inside the "Kitchen", leaning against a wall, with one hand deep inside a bag of her favourite snacks._

"Sometimes, people, much like walls, must be destroyed, in order to make room. For the good of the entire design, it must be done."

 _A "Hallway", where a gray haired man in a black suit rolls a suitcase with an extended handle down along the concrete floor, white cravat wrapped around his neck._

"However, much like the fixtures of a building, these people hold no power. They are merely small, tiny things caught up in something so much bigger."

" _Cell Block A", where a blonde haired man in a blue suit is led away in handcuffs, followed closely by two guards._

"The one who holds all the power is the architect of the design. They build the plan, waiting and waiting for their time to strike."

 _Suddenly, blood drains out over the plan, washing everything away in a violent red tide._

"…And now, the design is complete."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Despite me being a huge Ace Attorney fan for a few years, this is the first case fic I'm doing for it. It probably won't be the last though. I hope all of you are excited to see where this goes, and hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed thinking it up.**

 **Also, I'd like to thank my beta-reader, Pierce the Veils, who's story Rebirth inspired me to take the words I'd written for this fic, and work to put it out there online.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **July 17th**

 **Wright Anything Agency**

 **11:40 AM**

Apollo walked in through the front door, kicked off his shoes on the entrance mat, and practically collapsed on his chair in his office. _Why do I do this?_

It was a stressful, but rewarding time for the Wright Anything Agency. The heat never seemed to be unbearable, so they were saving money on air conditioning. Trucy was finding work as a magician at various summer festivals around the city, making some decent money in the process. Apollo still had to help as her assistant sometimes, but at least Athena was taking turns with him nowadays.

The agency's namesake, Phoenix Wright, his boss, had been reinstated almost a year ago, after all the forgery charges were cleared up. Right now, he was somewhere else, probably with Trucy.

As for Athena, she was doing well since the UR-1 retrial that winter. The pain those events seemed to awaken within her had all but vanished. Due the incident's publicity, the agency was getting a steady supply of defendants to represent. Considering some of his earlier work, Apollo was becoming quite good at defending clients. He was finally too busy to do any of the odd jobs Trucy signed him up for, most of which involved no legal work of any kind. He found it a bit annoying when Trucy made him do all those jobs in the spring, almost none of which involved legal work of any sort.

In short, things weren't going perfect, but they weren't terrible either. Apollo liked the routine they had established.

 _DRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGG._ It was the phone on his desk. He picked it up and held it to his ear. He was about to introduce himself when-

"Herr Wright, is that you?" he heard the voice on the other end say.

He immediately recognized the voice on the other end: Klavier Gavin, a literal rockstar prosecutor. Apollo had faced off against him in court a few times. Though they were on opposite sides of the courtroom, the defense attorney and prosecutor had become friends.

"No, this is Apollo Justice."

"Ah, Herr Justice. I'm sorry," Klavier said. "I was using the number your assistant gave me; I assumed it would be to Herr Wright's phone, not yours. Still, it's good I managed to get in contact with one of you lawyers. Really, any of you, but-"

"What is it, Klavier?"

Klavier's voice became low and quiet. "It concerns _mein bruder_."

Apollo had heard the prosecutor use enough German to know exactly who he was referring to. If Klavier was talking about his brother, well…

"What did Kristoph do this time?"

"He's… He's… been accused of murder!"

 _What?! How was that even possible?_

"How?" Apollo asked. "Kristoph's in prison. Did he break out or some-"

"Turn on the news, Herr Justice."

Apollo reached forward and turned on his computer. He went to one of the news sites he trusted, and looked in the 'Local Stories' section. Though there was a television in the mess that was the rest of the agency, he preferred to stay up to date with current events this way. The top story was "Brutal Murder in State Prison: Press Exclusive". Apollo's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it: another murder involving Kristoph while the man was imprisoned. This was crazy!

Apollo sighed. After all this time, the shadow of his former mentor still haunted him. "Do you think he did it? Is it like the last time?"

"I… I don't know," Klavier said, stuttering his words out. "Apparently, Kristoph and the victim had some sort of rivalry. T-The evidence is also strong, so I've heard. But… I talked to him, and well… it didn't seem like he did it. He seemed just as surprised as me that the murder happened, and I believed him."

"You believed that-!"

"I know it means nothing; he's lied to me before, to all of us, but all those times, I… I felt something, deep inside, that I didn't feel this time."

"Not much to go on, Klavier."

"I know. The thing is, Herr Justice, I don't see why he would do such a thing, considering his previous murders. He wasn't the type to kill out of rivalry."

 _No, only get them disbarred._ Apollo leaned back in his chair as he remembered the case. It was hard; he'd done everything in his power to repress the memory. "Okay, I can see where you're coming from." He closed the web browser, and continued on. There was one question he needed to ask, even though he hated having to do it. "Would you like me to defend him? I will if you believe he is innocent. You're not the type of person who gets this wrong. If you believe he's innocent, I'll check things out myself."

"I wouldn't hold it against you if you just let the public defender take the case, but I would appreciate it if you defended him, Herr Justice," Klavier said. "Even if it turns out he's guilty, I know you'll allow the truth to come out, and let him be convicted."

"I'll see what I can do, Klavier. I'll have to check with Phoenix before I take this case. I'm not the head of the agency anymore when it comes to lawyering."

"I… understand." Klavier paused, and Apollo heard a sigh on the other end. "T-Thank you, Herr Justice."

"He might not allow me to take the case, but I'll do everything I can to convince him." Apollo didn't want to admit it, but he still owed the guy for giving him a job, three years ago.

Klavier laughed on the other end. " _Ja_ , I remember him talking about you right before you were hired. He told me how he helped pay for your tuition to law school, and how he knew you'd become a great attorney."

"Yeah." Apollo's tone became much more somber, as he remembered his first case. "All that made it hurt so much more when I found out he was a murderer. That… wasn't a good trial."

"I supposed my brother's actions cursed both of our first trials, Herr Justice. Still, I do hope you can take his case."

"I'll need to meet with him, with Phoenix or without, before I decided anything for sure. Is he still at the Central Prison?" Apollo asked.

" _Nein._ After that incident, he was moved to the prison connected to the detention center. You can find him there."

"Well, that makes things easier."

Central Prison, where Kristoph had been held before, was near the Los Angeles area, but was much further outside the city than the detention center and its accompanying prison. Apollo could bike to the latter easily.

"See you, Herr Justice."

"Bye, Klavier."

The prosecutor hung up. Apollo kept hold of the phone, and dialed in Phoenix's number. The phone rang, several times, before heading to voicemail. It seemed whatever he was doing, it was keeping him away from his cell. Apollo left him a message, talking about a new client, but not mentioning who it was.

He got up from his chair, and locked the door to his office with his keys. He slipped on his shoes and exited the agency, before placing a sign Trucy made on the door, one that told visitors looking for an attorney to wait inside the agency's lobby until one of them returned. After that, Apollo set out to the detention center.

* * *

 **Detention Center**

 **Visitor's Room**

 **12:14 PM**

Apollo stood in the drab, gray visitor's room of the local detention center. No matter how many times he'd done it, meeting with the defendant still always made him nervous. When a defense attorney met with the accused in the visitor's room, they had make the big decision to put the defendant's life in their hands.

At least the death penalty was less common nowadays. Ever since Blackquill's acquittal the day before he was to be executed, the legal system was handing down the death penalty less and less. It probably wouldn't last, but for the moment, it was necessary to regain the public's trust. He'd also heard some cases from the Dark Age were even being revisited, with people being imprisoned under false charges being set free, and some criminals who had been sentenced to death having their sentences commuted to life in prison.

But for this case, he had every reason to believe that Kristoph's life would be on the line. How he'd avoided the death penalty until now was beyond him.

He heard the door to the visitor's room open, and saw his former mentor walk in wearing the same blue suit he always wore. As soon as he laid eyes on Apollo, Kristoph raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The disgraced lawyer reached up and adjusted his glasses as he walked towards the folding chair in front of the glass. Sitting down opposite Apollo, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hello, Justice," Kristoph said. "I can't say I expected to see you again."

Despite everything that had happened to Kristoph, the murder convictions and the events of the Misham trial, Apollo's former mentor still sounded completely calm and poised. His words all seemed to be carefully chosen, and it was near impossible for Apollo to get a grasp on what Kristoph was thinking or feeling. He hid his emotions well behind his glasses. They didn't used to call Kristoph Gavin "the coolest defense in the west" for nothing.

"Kristoph," Apollo said, greeting his mentor, who looked vaguely offended at that.

Since Clay's murder, he had ceased referring to Phoenix as "Mr. Wright" or Kristoph as "Mr. Gavin". Though they'd been his mentors (in Wright's case, was his current boss), he had grown out of being the rookie lawyer who couldn't even win a trial on his own. Apollo didn't know if this was just him trying to look strong after Clay's death or was a permanent shift. One thing he did know for sure was that he was just as good a lawyer as Phoenix, or "Boss", as he and Athena had taken to calling him. He was much more confident in himself.

Kristoph once again pushed up his glasses. "I expect you are here for some reason other than reminiscing, Justice. What is your point in coming here?"

Apollo got straight to it. "I've heard you've been accused of murder."

"Ah," Kristoph said. "I wonder how you know."

His mouth stretched into a small smile as he pondered the question. "My brother must have told you. After all, I have yet to be formally charged."

"Yes, it was Klavier," Apollo said. "He believes you're innocent, and he wants to know the truth about what happened."

Kristoph laughed and shook his head. "I don't see why my brother sees the need to protect me. I am, after all, a convicted murderer. Yet still, it's as if he believes I am incapable of taking a life, or that I have somehow been reformed."

"Maybe he believes the brother he knew is still in there" Apollo said. "You were my mentor, and I had a similar experience when I found out you murdered Shadi Enigmar."

The light was shining on Kristoph's glasses in such a way that hid his eyes from Apollo. "Shadi Smith. The Court Record recognizes him as Shadi Smith. You have yet to prove otherwise."

Then suddenly, he lifted his head up, and Apollo could look him in the eyes again. "You know, Justice, I wouldn't considered myself reformed in any way, but prison has changed my views on people. I now see everyone as having two sides. Everybody has the capacity for great good and great evil. It's simply the situations in which we are placed that determine which side wins out. The victories of either side don't at all erase the other side's existence. I've acquitted innocent people, saving their lives, even after I got Phoenix disbarred."

"Are you admitting to forging evidence?"

Kristoph laughed. "Of course not, Justice. I admit to warning my brother that forged evidence would be presented at that trial, but that is all. And as you of all people should know, my conviction was based off evidence forged by Phoenix, even though the legal system refuses to acknowledge that fact. Friends in high places, it seems. I suppose that proves that in times of trouble, he's not so above it all."

Apollo stayed quiet and just stared at his mentor, not letting any emotion creep into his features. Of all the things he expected to see during this meeting, Kristoph actually changing his world view was not one of them.

"Anyway, Justice," Kristoph said, dismissing his own train of thought. "I will admit that I did not commit the murder. I am innocent of the crime."

Apollo focused, as he tried to sense whether his bracelet was reacting to Kristoph's statement. He'd caught Kristoph in a lie before on the stand, so if his former mentor was lying, he should be able to tell.

Apollo waited for a couple seconds as Kristoph just stared at him. Nothing. His bracelet wasn't vibrating or reacting in any way at all. Either Kristoph had become a much better liar since then, or he was telling the truth.

"So," Apollo said, still staring at his mentor, his voice firm and stoic, "I suppose you'll want me to defend you. After all, if you're convicted of this murder, you'll definitely receive the death penalty for sure."

Though Kristoph had committed two murders, he wasn't on death row. Apollo guessed that he was either incredibly lucky, or that he had called in a few favours from his friends in the justice system. Considering the situation, the latter seemed much more likely.

"I would, Justice, but the fact of the matter is that I do not care much about my life. I have next to no reason to live after losing my attorney's badge. Klavier said it himself: no one needs me anymore."

Apollo's bracelet didn't even tense up. It seemed Kristoph actually didn't care about what happened to him.

His former mentor let out a defeated sigh. "If you wish to defend me, I'll give my permission, if not, I'll happily accept the services of a public defender, even if they have no idea how to properly make a case."

"Well, I _would_ like to defend you. I'll just have to check with Phoenix first."

"Of course," Kristoph said, as a cruel smile appeared on his face. "Send regards to my old friend." He glanced through his glasses over to the guard standing by the door. "I suppose that means I can go now."

"Yes." Apollo didn't have the energy to say anything else.

Kristoph gave him a nod. "Very well. Goodbye, Justice."

Apollo's former mentor stood up and was escorted from the visitor's room, leaving the young attorney alone. After they had left, Apollo let out a long sigh of relief.

Confronting his former boss always made him uneasy. He still remembered Kristoph had broken down on stand during the Misham trial. Seeing Kristoph like that, after being so calm and composed, scared him. Even now, he was worried as to whether or not Kristoph would break like that again, and this time, do something horrible to him.

 _I can't think like this,_ Apollo chided himself. _Kristoph is innocent. He wasn't lying to me back there. Besides,_ _if I don't believe in him, who will?_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Well. I hope you enjoyed. Starting from now, I hope to get chapters out bi-weekly, on either Saturday or Sunday. Again, I would like to thank my amazing beta-reader, Pierce the Veils, for their help.**

 **If you like the story so far, or have any constructive criticism, please post a review.**

 **Hold onto you hats, because next chapter is going to be a wild ride.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Detention Center**

 **Hallway**

 **12:26 PM**

Apollo stepped out, leaving the visitor's room behind. To his left was the door to the prison, a giant metal monstrosity that was guarded by two uniformed men. It looked like a bank vault from some heist movie. He had never been to the prison before, so his imagination ran wild thinking up what could be behind that door.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps to his right. He turned to see two people walking down the hallway, shoes clacking on the linoleum floor. One was a man wearing a dark blue three-piece suit. He was completely bald and clean shaven; his skin paler than the fluorescent lights overhead.

The other was a young woman, Apollo guessed a little older than himself. Her skin seemed flushed pink, made worse by a red suit jacket (with white blouse underneath) and skirt. She had long black hair, and a pair of glasses rested on her forehead.

"That went better than expected," the woman said, passing through the metal detector that guarded the exit.

"Yes, Virginia. I agree. However, I don't like giving statements. I'd prefer to be here, doing my job." Once he was through as well, a guard handed the man a hat of some sort. It was blue, with a black shade extending from the front, and looked a bit like a police cap. The man pulled it over his head, and brought his hands behind his back. "I have no time for these interruptions. There's enough on my plate already."

"I see."

The two of them passed right in front of Apollo, not even _glancing_ in his direction. "Speaking of work, how is yours going?" the man asked. "Are you still planning on having your session with him?"

The woman bit her lip. "I think so. It wouldn't be good if we didn't hold him to it. Keeping a routine is important for treating the mind. Our talk might even put him in a more cooperative mood, which would help the investigation. Though you know there are some things I can't tell you—"

"I'm well aware, and I do understand. But if you're having any problems, just tell me. This isn't an easy job."

"It's still better than the mental hospital." The woman shuddered. "There seems to be some hope here at least. I… I think I can handle it."

"Have you met with the Chief Prosecutor?" the man asked. "He thinks our _mutual friend_ might be involved."

She nodded, turning to face the man. "I'm still working on the case. We might even get a psych profile one of these days, despite how hard our _friend_ makes it."

"I owe you, Virginia," the man said, as the gigantic door was opened for them. "If there's anything you need, just…"

Their conversation trailed off as they entered the prison. They hadn't even noticed him as they walked by. Normally, there would at _least_ be a comment about his hair. _I feel almost insulted._

But before he could more thought into their talk, the beginning of the Steel Samurai theme song filled the air. It was his cellphone. He tried to change his ringtone to something else, but Athena had used Widget to hack into his phone for April Fool's.

He still couldn't change it back.

Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulled out the phone. Phoenix was on the other end.

"Hey Boss."

"Apollo," Phoenix said on the other end, "I got your message."

"Where are you? I need to talk to you about this case."

"Trucy, Athena, and I are with a few old friends of mine. Come to People's Park, I want you to meet them too."

"I'll be right over, then," he said, ending the call.

* * *

 **July 17th**

 **People Park**

 **1:08 PM**

The park was surprisingly crowded. By the time Apollo reached his friends, he'd been bumped into almost a dozen times. He found Trucy and Athena with a strange man in a brown trenchcoat. They were playing fetch with a dog, it seemed.

A little ways away, Phoenix was chatting with a woman Apollo didn't recognize. She had black hair, and was wearing some sort of purple robe. Her hair done up in a strange fashion, with two braids running along her scalp. A bit like the wings of a butterfly or a halo.

He noticed Apollo as the young attorney approached, waving to greet him. "Apollo! It's good to see you."

"So _he's_ your junior partner, right Feenie?" the woman said with a giggle.

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah. Oh! Almost forgot: Apollo, this is Iris. Iris, Apollo."

Apollo reached out and shook her hand. She returned the favor with a loose grip. "It's nice to meet you. The boss has told me a lot about you."

"Oh," Iris said, shocked. "Really? I—"

Phoenix turned, and put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Well, you were one of my last clients before I lost my badge, plus we dated in college… so of course you'd come up eventually when I was telling Apollo here about all my old cases."

"Yes," Apollo said, watching Iris awkwardly. "Boss, can we talk about _this_ case? You know, the one I really want to take."

"Relax, Apollo," Phoenix said, before laughing. "The stress might mess with your famous Chords of Steel."

" _Please_ ," Apollo stressed the word, trying to convey the urgency of the situation as best he could. "It's important."

Phoenix sighed. "Okay. Hold on, Iris."

They walked out of earshot from the rest of the group.

Phoenix's voice and expression became much more serious. "So, who's the client?"

Apollo took a deep breath, trying to think of how the words should come out. In the end, he went for the 'blunt and all at once' approach. "Kristoph Gavin has been accused of murdering someone in prison. I don't know who."

Apollo watched, waiting for his boss to respond. Phoenix's eyes burned with rage when he heard Gavin's name. He guessed the answer before it left the lawyer's lips.

"No."

"But—"

Phoenix's nostrils flared. Though his voice was strangely calm, everything else Apollo could see told him the real story. "I won't let you defend him. He doesn't deserve it. Why would you ever want to do this?"

"Klavier thinks he's innocent. He asked me personally t—"

"What? Is Prosecutor Gavin an idiot?! He knows what his brother is capable of. He isn't _that_ gullible, is he? The last time—"

"Please, Boss," Apollo said, "I want to find the truth, for all of us. If he's guilty, I won't stand in the way. But the thing is—"

"No, Apollo," Phoenix said, getting angrier. "I can't… no… I _won't_ let you take that case."

"Boss," Apollo pleaded.

"This is over, Apollo. You can't take the case, and that's final."

Before Apollo could protest, Phoenix turned and walked back to Iris. Apollo sighed, looking down at his bracelet.

Kristoph was innocent. He couldn't let the case go that easily. It went against his very principles as an attorney to turn his back on someone like that. He couldn't imagine where he would be if—

"POOLLLLLYYYYY," he heard a voice yell. "YOU'RE HERE!"

He turned just in time to see Trucy run up and wrap her arms around him. After the initial shock wore off, he returned the hug. Trucy let go and held her hands behind her back, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Polly," she said, "you _have_ to meet Missile."

"Who's Missile?"

"The dog. He's a police dog, and he's _so_ cute."

 _Cute until he's chasing you down, I'm sure_.

"By the way," Apollo said, "who was that man with you? The one in the trenchcoat."

"Oh, him? That's Gummy," Trucy said. "He's a detective who worked with Daddy a long time ago!"

 _Knowing detectives, Trucy, he probably worked_ against _your father._

"You need to meet him," she said, grabbing his hand. "Come on, Polly."

She dragged him over to where Athena and this "Gummy" person were playing with the dog.

"Gummy!" Trucy yelled in excitement. "This is Polly, my friend I was telling you about."

The detective just looked at him awkwardly, and started scratching the back of his neck. Eventually, he brought his hand forward, offering a handshake to Apollo, which the defense attorney reluctantly accepted.

"Hey, pal," the detective said. "The name's Gumshoe, Dick Gumshoe. Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you too, Detective Gumshoe. I hea—"

"Come on, Polly," Trucy interrupted. "Don't be so serious. It's 'Gummy', not 'Detective Gumshoe'." She started to pout. "I mean, the big party's coming up and all. It's supposed to be fun, not serious! You're just too serious all the time!"

 _Wait… What is she talking about?_

"What big party?" he asked.

"Apollo," Athena said, joining the conversation, "I can't believe you've forgotten… no, wait. This is you we're talking about. I _can_ believe you forgot… How could you forget such a big day?" She clutched her arms to her chest, face giving the expression of someone about to cry.

 _Little dramatic, don't you think?_ "What big day? I'm confused."

"Oh come on, Apollo," Athena said. "Think about what happened almost a year ago, that concerned our humble law agency. One person in particular… that person is our boss, by the way—"

And then it hit him. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten. "It's the anniversary of Phoenix getting his badge back." _Wow. Time flies._

"Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner," Athena cried out sarcastically.

" _Took you long enough,"_ Widget chimed in.

"WIDGET!"

Trucy spoke up. "Why did you think all of Daddy's friends were here. Everybody's going to be coming to the party; Daddy's friends from Kurain are coming into town tomorrow, and we've invited all our defendants, both yours and Daddy's—"

"And mine! Don't forget about Junie."

"—to come over and celebrate. We even have a few prosecutors who are coming to visit. It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Yeah, it'll be nice seeing Prosecutor Edgeworth again. I haven't been able to work with him in a while. Just my luck. I've moved in the ranks, and I still always getting stuck with other prosecutors," Gumshoe said, holding back a sigh.

Suddenly, his eyes went wide with horror.

"Wait… Does that mean prosecutors other than Prosecutor Edgeworth, Prosecutor Gavin, and Prosecutor Blackquill?"

"Yeah, why?" the magician asked, confused.

"Ooohhh man," he moaned. "I won't even be working, and she'll still try to cut my salary. Maggey and I even got ourselves a stable income! She's gonna ruin all of it, pal!"

"So, I take it you're coming to the party, detective."

"Yeah," Gumshoe said, perking back up. "My wife and I will be coming over. Mr. Wright saved her lif more than once. I, however…" He let out a long sigh, and looked at the ground. "…I'm the reason he lost his badge in the first place. I was the detective in charge of that case."

"It's okay, Gummy, you were only doing your job" Trucy said. "Besides, Daddy has his badge back now. That's why we're celebrating."

"Thanks, kid. That means a lot, coming from you."

"GAH!" Apollo yelled out as something started pressing against his thigh. He looked down and saw the brown dog from earlier pawing at his leg.

"Aww, Missile," Trucy said. "You wanna play with Polly? I don't think he wants to play, but you can play with me and Gummy."

Trucy held up a ball, and the dog started chasing after her. Detective Gumshoe joined Trucy, moving a quite a bit away to give Missile room to fetch.

"So, Athena, how is Juniper doing?" Apollo asked.

"Why do you want to know?" She gave him her mischievous smile. "Do you have a _crush_ on her, Apollo?"

"W-What! I-It's just I haven't heard much from her since the winter."

" _Suuuurrrreeee,_ Apollo. And remember, she'll be at the party in three days. You can ask her yourself then. Robin and Hugh will be there, too."

"And how is everything going with them?"

"Well, Robin didn't manage to pass the bar exam—"

Widget turned a dark blue, and made a frowny face. " _So sad,_ " it said.

"—but Hugh got perfect on the entrance exam, for real this time," Athena said as it turned green.

Apollo smiled. "Nice to hear. With kids like them leading the way, the justice system is in good hands." _Man, I'm starting to sound old._

Suddenly, Apollo felt something vibrate in his pant pocket. He reached inside and pulled out a cellphone. Strange… it wasn't his phone. How did he even end up with it?

He answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear. Maybe he could figure out who the phone belonged to.

"Remove yourself from the conversation, and sit on the park bench to your left."

"Uh… what?"

"You heard me, Mr. Justice. Now do as I ask, or a sniper will shoot Ms. Cykes."

The voice spoke in a poised, refined British accent. Apollo couldn't tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.

"Okay," Apollo said, nervous. "I'll do that."

"Now we are getting somewhere, Mr. Justice. Try not to make anybody suspicious."

"Who is it, Apollo?" Athena asked.

"Just a friend," Apollo said, following the instructions. He didn't like this; not one bit. "I…" He motioned to the bench with his hand. "…need to take this."

"Okay."

Apollo walked to the bench and sat down, leaning back to appear relaxed. "I did what you asked. Now, who are you?"

"That isn't important," the voice said. "Now that you're on the bench, look forward."

Apollo looked out in front of him, but saw nothing but Trucy playing with Missile.

"What is it?" Apollo said. "I don't see anything."

"Pay attention to Mr. Wright's daughter. Specifically, the centre of her chest."

Apollo focused in on the area on Trucy's clothes the voice was describing, but he saw nothing there.

"I don't see anyt—"

Suddenly, a red dot appeared in that area. _A… A-A- no. No way is that a-_

"I see I have your attention," the voice said, smug.

 _A laser sight. It has to be!_

His breathing quickened as his eyes widened in horror. "W-What do you want?"

He glanced around the park, turning his head all around to try and find where the laser was coming from, but he couldn't see anything.

"Mr. Justice, Kristoph Gavin is completely innocent. He did not commit any of the crimes he will be charged with, nor any others recently. Your agency shall defend him. If you refuse, Ms. Wright dies. If your mentor refuses, Ms. Wright dies. If you tell the police about this, Ms. Wright _dies_."

Apollo realized his hand was shaking when he almost dropped the phone.

The voice continued. "I have people everywhere. There is no place that Ms. Wright can go where I cannot find her. Where I cannot _reach_ her."

Suddenly, as if on cue, several other red dots appeared over Trucy's chest. The magician didn't notice that anything was out of the ordinary.

"W-Why are you doing this?"

"There is an outcome I want from this trial. Mr. Gavin's defense is necessary to achieve that outcome," the voice said. "I suggest you start investigating."

All the red dots over Trucy's chest disappeared, and the call ended. Just like that.

Apollo just stared forward, his heart pounding in his chest. He only realized he'd been hyperventilating when his breathing began to slow down to a normal rate. _My god, who is this person?_

He slowly closed the cellphone, and slipped it back into his pocket as he rose from the bench. He felt dizzy, all his steps we unsure. It was like he was drunk. Drunk on fear.

Slowly, he once approached his boss again. _How am I going to make him believe this?_

"Um, Boss," he barely managed to croak out, his voice stuck in his throat.

"What is it, Apollo?"

"I…" He had a hard time swallowing. "We need to talk… in private. It's about… the case."

Phoenix looked a bit annoyed, but not angry. Apollo was thankful for that at least. They slowly walked away from Iris (again. He'd have to apologize later), to a secluded spot.

"Apollo…" Phoenix began. "I am _not_ going to change my mind on this case no matter what you—"

"Boss, I just got a phonecall." He took the phone back out from his pocket, allowing Phoenix to examine it.

Phoenix glanced at it for a second, before looking back up at him, confused. "How? That isn't even your phone."

"I know. The caller, they—"

"What did the person calling you tell you? That Kristoph Gavin is completely innocent of everything? That he can do no wrong? That he deserves to be defended because he secretly runs a puppy orphanage in his spare time? That he is no-"

"They threated to kill Athena. Right…" He leaned in. "…in front of me."

Phoenix was shocked. He looked around at their other friends scattered about the park. He hoped none of them heard that.

"They had me follow their instructions, then… t-then… they threatened to kill Trucy. There were laser sights, and the typical 'don't try and hide', and- and… they told me we need to defend Gavin, or else she dies."

Phoenix brought his hand to his forehead, floored by all of it. "They… whoever called you… they want us to defend Gavin, and will kill my daughter if we don't comply?"

Apollo nodded.

"Oh god. Where have I heard _this_ before?" Phoenix clenched his hands into fists and cracked his knuckles. "Considering how _that_ one turned out… we _need_ to talk to Gavin."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Told you to hold onto your hats with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. The scene between Apollo and the voice was a blast for me to write.**

 **Again, I would like to thank my beta-reader, PierceTheVeils, for their help. If you have anything to say about the story, please review. I like hearing feedback.**

 **And for all of you at home reading this, I hope this chapter made you excited to see what's going to happen next.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Detention Center**

 **Visitor's Room**

 **1:55 PM**

"Leave my daughter _out of this_ , Gavin!" Phoenix screamed at the man on the other side of the visitor room glass. "Call. Them. Off. Or I swear…"

 _Note to self_ , Apollo thought, _never get on the Boss' bad side._

He had spent the last little while seeing Wright unleash all his pent up anger onto Kristoph. The ex-lawyer just let him finish, looking more bored than anything else.

Finally, Phoenix stopped; whether he was done, or he just needed time to seethe, Apollo didn't know.

The former lawyer let out a sigh, and a small look of annoyance made its way onto his face. "Phoenix, as I've been waiting to tell you for the last quarter hour, I know nothing about any assassins targeting young Trucy. I have never once hired an assassin to kill in my entire life."

"Oh?" Phoenix said, shaking his head in disbelief. It was obvious he was still angry. "You know, that is _exactly_ what you would say, isn't it? You never hired someone to _kill_ the people closest to me, huh? You chose your words very carefully, didn't you?" He was snarling.

"Phoenix, please-"

"Let me guess, so you wouldn't set off Apollo bracelet? Or my Magatama? You're right, you didn't hire an assassin to _kill_ anybody. Just threaten them, and since your people haven't killed anyone _yet_ , you can still say that without it being a lie. No reason to be tense, no reason to reveal Psyche Locks, no-"

Kristoph's facial features scrunched up as he became even more annoyed. He glared at Wright through his glasses, and through the glass separating them.

"Very well, then, Phoenix," he said slowly, through gritted teeth. "Let me rephrase that. I haven't ever hired an assassin to threaten anyone in my entire life. Does that satisfy you?"

Phoenix clutched something in his pocket, eyes shut. He opened them, blinked, then turned to Apollo. "Was he lying? Tell me he's lying."

"Um… no," Apollo said, hand still clasping his bracelet. "He's telling the truth. I actually don't think he hired those people."

"Finally," Kristoph exclaimed, "someone sees sense here. Listen to your junior partner, Phoenix, I never hired a soul."

"B-But, it's just like the last time. It doesn't make sense. If you didn't hire those people, who did?"

"That is a question I'm afraid you will have to answer on your own, Phoenix." Kristoph shook his head, one hand in the air. "I'm no idiot. I'm well aware of what happened to the last person who threatened you into taking his case. It didn't end well for him, to say the least. Why on earth would I take my chances on such a ridiculous gamble?"

"It still doesn't make sense," Phoenix said. "You're the only one who will benefit from being defended. Who else had the motive to hire someone like that?"

"As I told your partner earlier today, I care about my life very little. Life is nothing without purpose, Wright, and you took that away from me. Haven't you heard? 'I'm not needed anymore.'" He leaned back, eyes still trained on Phoenix. Without warning, he laughed. "And believe me, if you truly think I'm the only one with motive here, then you desperately need to start investigating. Considering whom the victim was, I believe several people in this prison have very good motives for hiring a killer."

He sat up straight, then leaned forward in his chair, jaw on his hand. He seemed a lot more serious now. "Phoenix… despite the animosity we share for each other, I do not wish for your daughter to be harmed. It is for that reason I will accept your offer to defend me. An offer I assume you will give, as it seems you have no other choice."

Phoenix glared in silence at the blond-haired man. He looked humiliated.

"Okay, Gavin," he said, after a tense minute of silence. "I will defend you."

Kristoph stood up from his chair, and nodded his head towards the lawyer. "Believe me, Phoenix, I do not like this arrangement as much as you." He turned to look at Apollo. "In fact, I would much prefer if Justice was the one defending me."

"Very well, Gavin," Phoenix said, still definitely not happy. "I'll let him defend you. It will save me from having to represent a convicted murderer. Apollo wanted to take the case, so he can deal with this mess."

"Thank you," Kristoph said, then smirked. "As you _are_ my attorneys, you will have the ability to enter the prison, and examine the crime scene. Do I need to tell you two what to do next? Or did I teach Justice well enough for him to figure it out for you both?

"No," Phoenix spat. He was clearly offended.

"Good. Now, I'm afraid I must go. The residents of the detention center have to speak with their attorneys as well. Besides, I have somewhere I have to be soon."

 _Like where? Isn't the point of prison_ not _to go anywhere?_

"I'm sure I'll see you later today. Goodbye Justice. Phoenix." He motioned to the guard, who led him out of the room.

Apollo turned to Phoenix. "I guess we should head to the crime scene."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Phoenix said.

They turned away from the glass, and walked out the door.

* * *

 **Detention Center**

 **Hallway**

 **2:05 PM**

As they walked out, they were surprised to find someone waiting for them. It was a woman. Apollo immediately recognized her as the one he saw earlier that day. The red skirt and jacket were pretty distinguishing. She looked at them with what could best be described as a curious glare.

"So…" she said, trailing off slightly. "You're Gavin's defense attorneys, right?"

"Yeah," Phoenix said, his mood not having improved in the slightest. "Why do you want to know?"

Suddenly, a huge smile appeared on her face. She enthusiastically pulled out a clipboard from… somewhere (Apollo guessed she'd been hiding it behind her back) and started scribbling notes down on the paper attached to it.

She was ecstatic. "This is great. I can't believe it: I've finally made some progress with him."

Phoenix and Apollo simply looked on, not saying anything. Not knowing _what_ to say. They turned to each other, and from what they saw on each other's faces, both of them were just as bewildered.

The woman in red looked up, and seemed to notice their confusion. Apollo thought he might have seen her blush a little. "Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself."

She held out her hand in front of her, ready to shake. "My name is Virginia Freud. I'm the Chief Psychologist at this prison."

She seemed to compose herself after her introduction, as her wide grin shifted into a small smile. Phoenix reached out, and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Freud. Though, I'm wondering why you-".

"Had that outburst," she said, finishing his sentence. "Well… you see, as a psychologist, making progress with my patients often takes a lot of time and effort. Mr. Gavin is one of my patients, and it's nice to see he's made a bit of progress. If he's accepting the help of a defense attorney, it must mean he's starting to care much more about his own life. It's nice to hear I've managed to help him break out of that depressive state he was in."

"Ah," Phoenix said, dragging out the syllable as long as he could.

"Yeah. It's not often you get any good news in here."

 _If only she knew that that wasn't the reason Kristoph accepted our help_ , Apollo thought.

"Anyway," Freud said, still maintaining a demeanor of cool professionalism, "I suspect you'll be heading to the crime scene. If you want to speak to the warden, you'll find him there. He's been supervising the place for the past couple hours. I sometimes worry about him. He doesn't seem the kind to get much sleep and- Oh, sorry. I started rambling. What I was trying to say is I'm heading into the prison myself; I have a session with Gavin in about fifteen minutes. I could show you the way, if you want?"

"That would be perfect," Apollo said.

"Then come on," she said, motioning with her head to the door. "Follow me."

The two lawyers followed as she walked down the hallway to the giant bank-vault door. She only needed to nod her head to the guard on duty for him to begin to open the monstrosity.

"Welcome, gentlemen," she said, a small smile appearing back on her lips, "to prison. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Not many people do. I have to wonder why."

Once the door was fully opened, they followed her through into the prison. They walked down a hallway, shining bright from the fluorescent lights, the walls polished metal, and floor, metal as well. It seemed almost futuristic.

"Now," she said. "The prison is a lot bigger ever since we had that big renovation about five years ago. It seems all shiny and new now, doesn't it?"

Apollo's jaw dropped. He hadn't expected the prison to look like this.

"It seems unbelievable that this used to be all dank and dark. I mean, the walls of this hallway used to be stone, and the area we're heading to, the central hub for the different cell blocks, it used to be a cell block itself, with the cells literally _cut out of the rock_. It's crazy the prison was ever like that, right? We've also greatly increased the size of the place, along with the professionalism of the staff. The warden before our current one was a huge believer in animal therapy, so she just let animals wander around here all the time." Freud groaned, as if recalling a bad memory. "How unprofessional. When Warden Dent came in, he got rid of all that… and those old uniforms the prisoners used to wear. I heard a lot about his changes, even before I came to work here."

"Speaking of your job, Ms. Freud," Apollo said. "Why does the prison have a Chief Psychologist? What do they do?"

"First off, it's Dr. Freud. I forgot to correct you on it before, but let's get the record straight, shall we? The thing is, Mr. Justice, imprisonment does terrible things to the mind. Solitary confinement in particular is brutal. My job is to keep the prisoners sane, and if possible, treat them for any mental problems they may have."

"Sounds tough," Apollo remarked.

"It sometimes is… I can't give you any details, of course. Doctor-patient confidentiality, you see."

Apollo nodded. "I get it."

They exited out into a large central junction.

"The crime scene is the hallway that leads to Cell Block A. If you want to get there, just head down that corridor," she said, pointing to one of the many exits.

"Thank you, Dr. Freud," he said.

"No problem," she called back to them as she went on her way; heels clacking against the floor as she left through one of the other corridors. The two lawyers followed her instructions, and left for the crime scene.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry for not being able to get this out last weekend. I went to a big event that took up most of my time, leaving with no time to publish. Still, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts in a review. I appreciate the criticism.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Prison**

 **Hallway to Cell Block A – Crime Scene**

 **2:18 PM**

Apollo was used to most of the things found at crime scenes. The flashing lights of the photographer's camera, the chalk outline marking the body's position, the yellow tape that surrounded it all. But there was one thing he could never adjust to: the smell of blood. No matter how many times he smelt it, it always made him want to throw up. He watched from behind the police barrier as the crime scene was photographed, making sure the court had a record of what it everything was like before anyone began the investigation.

He heard steps behind him, and then… a chewing sound. _Huh. It's been a while._

"MUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCHMUNCH."

He and Phoenix turned to see a familiar white lab coat, worn by a familiar detective snacking on her very familiar favourite food.

Ema was surprised to see them. "Hey Mr. Wright. I didn't think I'd see you here. Like I know you got your badge back and all, but why would _you_ be on this case?"."

"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are" he said, the biggest smile on his face. Seeing Ema seemed to put him into a good mood. "Apollo's leading the charge on this one, though."

She let out a long sigh. "I take it you're Gavin's attorney, then? If so, you can have a look at the crime scene after those guys are done taking their photos."

"You're really going to let us investigate the crime scene? Just like that?!" Apollo exclaimed, equally shocked and elated. Normally, he'd have to worm his way past flippant prosecutors and uncooperative detectives into getting permission to look at the crime scene. But this time, it was like the door was being held open for them.

"I have orders to let you investigate, so…" She motioned to the crime scene. "…investigate away!"

"That's a stroke of luck," Phoenix said. "The prosecution must be in a good mood."

Ema shook her head. "Not really. When the prosecutor shows up, they'll probably kick you out, so get what you need done before then. My orders come from _up top_ , and since I'm not the biggest fan of this prosecutor, I'm more than happy to follow them."

Suddenly, her face lit up. "Oh, Wright, I almost forgot. My sister is coming into the city tomorrow, so you can count us both in on coming to your party."

"That's great to hear, Ema," he said. "I can't even remember the last time I saw Lana."

"Yeah, I can wait to go, even if Fomp and Circumstance is going to be there."

Phoenix laughed. "Well, I'm sure Prosecutor Gavin is just as thrilled. By the way, what's keeping you from investigating?"

Ema sighed. "I was here earlier. They're taking photos of the stuff I found. I'm not allowed to touch any part of the crime scene until they finish, so no scientific tests for me. Anyway, I should be ready for when they're done, so see ya later Wright." She wandered to the edge of the tape, and continued her snacking.

"Apollo," Phoenix said, dropping the smile in an instant. "There's something that's bothering me about this. I want to go check it out."

"What is it, Boss?"

"It might be nothing; I just need to make a phonecall. I'll get back to you when I'm done."

Phoenix left him standing there, as walked down the hallway to make his call somewhere private. Apollo decided to follow Ema up to the edge of the scene. When he found her at the edge of the yellow tape, he just had to stare at her, mouth hanging open.

"What?" she asked, noticing his dumb expression.

"How can you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Eat! We're in the middle of a crime scene. With _blood_."

She smiled, and put on her glasses. "Oh, it's simple really. It's a scientific compound I created that blocks out the smell of blood. I put it under my nose whenever I visit a crime scene, so I can snack without having to smell anything bad. The power of science is truly amazing, isn't it?"

"Can I have some? The smell here makes me gag."

"Not until this is Skye-patented technology," she said. "Who knows, you could analyze it, then sell it to some corporation. When I receive the patent, you can have all you want."

"How did you come up with it?"

She began snacking again. "It's simple really. I had a problem, so I used my scientific genius to identify a compound which could nullify the scent of blood. After that, I synthesize the compound in my laboratory, and have used it ever since."

Suddenly, Apollo's bracelet buzzed. Ema was definitely lying. _Well, it's not like I have anything better to do._

"Umm… Detective Skye, can you repeat that?"

Ema looked at him quizzically, then started again. Apollo kept a close eye on her the entire time, looking for any tells as she repeated the sentence. "I had a problem, so I used my scientific genius—"

There. That was it. He saw her grip on her Snackoo bag tighten when she said the words ' _scientific genius_ '.

" **GOTCHA** "

Ema's eyes widened in surprise. "What now?" she asked.

He pointed his finger at her. "You grip your bag much more tightly when you said you used your 'scientific genius' to create the formula. Was it really genius that led you to your discovery?"

"Oh, you were doing that weird thing where you get really focused. I remember that from trial." She started pouting at Apollo. "Fine, I admit it. I discovered it when I knocked a chemical bottle over in the crime lab during a routine blood test. It ended up mixing with some other stuff, and I couldn't smell the blood I was working with after. I don't know if this stuff is safe yet, so I want to get it patented."

 _If you don't know it's safe, why in the world are you using it?_ Even so, Apollo made a note of Ema's strange substance.

"Do you know where the warden is?" he asked. "We were told we could find him here."

"I'm right here."

Both she and Apollo turned to face the man in the blue suit and strange cap that Apollo had run into earlier.

"Well, speak of the devil," he heard Ema mutter. "Warden Dent, this is Apollo Justice; he's representing Kristoph Gavin. Apollo here was asking about you."

Warden Dent eyed Apollo with curious eyes. It sent shivers down the young lawyer's spine. He hadn't noticed it when they crossed paths earlier, but now he saw just how gaunt the man was. His pale skin was stretched tight across his face, making his features resemble those of a skeleton. Warden Dent had clearly seen a thing or two in his time here.

"I would say I look forward to seeing you in court tomorrow, Mr. Justice, but the thing is: I hate giving testimony."

Apollo remembered he heard something like that earlier, in the detention center.

"You know what else I hate, Mr. Justice? People who think they know my prison better than me, and they have the ability to cause chaos here."

The young lawyer raised an eyebrow to the older man. "Warden Dent, I-"

"You lawyers are all the same, prosecution and defense. There are rules here, and in order to investigate, you must agree to follow these rules." He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a small book. "For example, all metallic objects must be inspected before being allowed into the prison. I'm guessing that you did not give that bracelet on your hand up for inspection."

"Sorry, I-I didn't know. I could do that later if you want, after I've investigated the crime scene."

The Warden was unamused. "That's what they all say." Then suddenly, he glanced above Apollo's head. "What is wrong with your hair?"

 _Oh sure. Now you notice it._

Before Apollo could get a single word out, the warden finally seemed to notice Ema. "Detective Skye!" he barked out, turning his head so hard and so fast that the cap on top of his head spun around, doing a full turn before stopping in the exact same position as before. "Are you by any chance _snacking_ at my crime scene?"

The warden turned his glare to her, becoming much more furious in the process. He held out his palm in front of him. "You know the punishment for eating in places within this prison where it's expressly forbidden. I'm afraid the rules here apply to both the prisoners… and guests, the latter of which you are."

Ema held her bag of Snackoos close to her chest, clearly afraid for it.

Apollo on the other hand, couldn't believe this was happening. He was always surprised when he found Ema eating at a crime scene, in disbelief that detectives were allowed to do that. After all, one Snackoo crumb flaking from her lips could contaminate everything, and implicate Ema as a killer. It seemed the day had finally come when an authority figure put their foot down, putting an end to Ema's destructive snacking habits.

"And the rule is, Detective Skye, that those found eating in places where eating is forbidden… must share with the warden."

He clapped his outstretched hand against itself, telling Ema to pony up.

Ema reluctantly took her bag, and poured a small handful of Snackoos into the warden's palm. He started eating them with vengeance.

Apollo's jaw dropped as he watched what could only be described as a miracle take place in front of him. With every Snackoo the warden chomped on down, his face seemed to become a little less gaunt, his features becoming fuller, until he looked somewhat human.

"Don't let me catch you again, or next time, I'll take the entire bag," he said, with a deadly seriousness that caused Ema to jump in fright.

"Warden Dent," Apollo said, scratching his head, "who is the victim? I heard they had a lot of enemies in this prison."

"From whom? Gavin?"

"Uh… yes. Actually, he said…" He trailed off before he said anything else, especially about hired killers. He couldn't endanger Trucy like that. "… Never mind."

"Well, I'm loath to admit it, but Gavin is right. I'm guessing he hoped someone else would do the dirty deed for him before he decided to take matters into his own hands. The victim is a prosecutor named Wilhelm Von Karma."

"Von Karma? Didn't Phoenix Wright face off against him in court?"

The warden sighed. "No, that's _Manfred_ Von Karma, the victim's brother. Manfred and Wilhelm weren't close. The two had pretty big ideological differences, which led to Manfred coming to the states to pursue his perfect record, and Wilhelm staying in Germany. He isn't as well known in this country for that reason."

"How do you know this?"

"I worked with Wilhelm. When we talked, his brother sometimes came up in our conversations."

"So, you worked in Germany before?"

"No. Wilhelm would come to L.A. every so often while touring. And to visit his niece when she worked her. While he was here, he usually ended up in court for a few big trials. That's when I first met him."

"So then, why was he here this time?"

"He…" The warden bit his lip. "… was in the city to meet with his nephew, our current Chief Prosecutor."

"And why was he in the prison?"

"I don't know, Mr. Justice." Apollo's bracelet buzzed. "Wilhelm checked in earlier today, but I haven't the faintest clue what his purpose here was." He continued enjoying the wrist massage. It was acting up so much; he didn't even need to clutch it to feel the vibrations. "He didn't tell me."

"Really, Warden?"

He fixed Apollo with a glare. "Are you calling me a liar, Mr. Justice?"

 _No. I_ know _you're a liar. I just don't know if I should tell you that yet._

"Warden Dent?" Ema said, piping up out of nowhere with a nervous smile on her face. "When's the crime scene going to be ready? I want to get a closer look at some of the evidence."

"Patience, Detective Skye," he said. "I'm not the one in charge of the crime scene. These are _your_ men, remember? I'm only here because I have to supervise the situation. You know, make sure that it doesn't cause any _issues_ in the prison."

Apollo looked at the situation that was now brewing between Ema and Warden Dent, and decided it was now his turn to diffuse an argument.

"Warden," he said. "Do you know what the victim looks liked? A picture, maybe? I… just wanted to know."

"I don't have anything on me at the moment, however…" He scratched his chin. "Oh wait! I do. Wilhelm handed out something to a few people about a week ago. I left in my pocket right about… here!"

He reached into the front pocket of his jacket, pulling out what Apollo thought was his pocket square, before unfolding a piece of paper and handing it to Apollo. The young lawyer found himself looking at what seemed to be a poster of some sort. On the front was an old man, with gray hair, and a large mustache and beard of the same colour. He was clad in a pitch black suit, with a white cravat hanging from his neck.

It advertised a night of opera in the park on July 15th, two days before, with the main attraction being "The Brilliant Baritone of Bielefeld."

"This is Von Karma?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yes. Apparently, he had a great singing voice. I didn't go if you wanted to know. I had work to do… here. Keep it if you want."

"Okay…" Apollo stuck the flyer in his pocket.

 _I already know Von Karma is a liar then, considering he's from a city that doesn't exist. How far does this conspiracy go?_

"Well, thank you, Warden." The man only responded with silence.

 _What is with this guy?_ Apollo thought as he left the two. Right away, he seemed to run straight into Phoenix.

"Boss, how did your phonecall go? Did you get the answers you wanted?" Apollo asked.

Phoenix's eyes were shifting back and forth. He seemed on edge, though Apollo had no idea whether or not that was from the threat against Trucy, or something else entirely.

"No, I couldn't make the call. For some reason, I can't get any reception here. It might be all the metal from the renovation causing problems with the signal." He leaned in close to Apollo. "Is it just me, or do you feel like you're being watched?"

Apollo thought about it for a few seconds, and realized that for the past little while, it did feel like a pair of eyes was on him. "I have that feeling too. It's probably the cameras. I'm not used to being inside a prison."

"Me neither. I thought that it might've been the cameras as well, but now I don't think so. Anyway, who was that you were talking to?"

"That's Warden Dent, he runs the place. I managed to find out the victim's identity from him."

"Good to hear, Apollo. You're getting good at weaseling info out of people."

"Um… thanks?"

"So, who is it?"

"Wilhelm Von Karma. He's a German prosecutor."

Phoenix turned his eyes away from Apollo, and started rubbing the tip of his chin. "That explains a lot. Guess I was wrong for doubting you, Klavier," he muttered to himself, quietly enough that Apollo knew he wasn't supposed to hear that.

"Umm… Boss, what are you talking about? What was that about Prosecutor Gavin?" he asked.

His words seemed to rip Phoenix out of his quiet contemplations. "Apollo, I still don't like the _circumstances_ of this case..."

 _You mean being threatened into doing this? Yeah, I understand._

"… but the situation may be more complicated than I thought. I'm starting to see the actual reasons we've been asked to take this case, and it means I still have a good opinion of certain people."

"You mean Prosecutor Gavin?"

"Yes."

"Why did you doubt him then? And what changed your mind?"

"I don't think I should be the one to tell you. Here." Phoenix reached into his pocket, and handed Apollo a green talisman shaped like the number nine. "Take this. When you see Klavier, ask him why he wanted you to take the case. I'm sure you'll find the truth."

"B-But Boss, this is your… um… I forgot its name…"

"It's a Magatama, and don't worry, Trucy still calls it a 'Magmatama'."

"It's yours, though. Are you sure you want me to have it?"

"Relax, Apollo," he said. "This isn't the first time I leant it out to someone, and I'm not giving it to you to keep. Give it back after you're done investigating, but I want you to learn how to use it."

Apollo nodded. "Okay, Boss."

He didn't really see why he needed to learn how to use it, since he had his bracelet, and that worked well enough for him. Still, he took it, and placed it in his pocket.

Suddenly, both their attentions were taken when Ema ran up to them. "Wright. Apollo. The crime scene is open for business. I suggest you have a look before a prosecutor comes and kicks you out."

Phoenix chuckled. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's unravel this mystery, one thread at a time."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am so sorry about the delay on this chapter. There was a bit of miscommunication between my beta and I which pushed it back. I was also planning on getting it out last week for Canadian Thanksgiving, but I ended up forgetting to bring my story with me when I went home. I would like to thank all you guys for the views and reviews I've been getting, and sorry for the slip.**

 **However, to make things easier on me, I think I'm going change to the schedule for updating this story from every two weeks to every three weeks. This is because I'm currently working on two AA stories, and my beta is also helping me with the other one. If you're a fan of this story, expect to see my other AA fic sometime in the new year, after I finish Spirit of Justice.**

 **One more thing, Apollo's joke about Von Karma coming from a town that doesn't exist is a reference to the Bielefeld Conspiracy, a satirical conspiracy theory that claims that the city of Bielefeld doesn't exist, and anyone who claims to have been there is part of the conspiracy.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Prison**

 **Hallway to Cell Block A – Crime Scene**

 **2:31 PM**

Ducking under the yellow tape, Apollo and Phoenix entered the crime scene.

Phoenix placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is your case, Apollo. Investigate whatever you want. But remember: I'm here to help."

Apollo gave Phoenix a questioning stare. "I know how to make a case, Boss."

Apollo always felt a wariness grow deep down inside whenever Phoenix would get too involved in one of his cases. Most of the time, he ended up appreciating his boss' help, but having Phoenix win his first case for him thanks to… _certain methods_ , it was… he was probably just being irrational, but he couldn't shake the nerves.

"I'm sure you do, Apollo, I'm sure you do."

Phoenix lifted his hand, letting his protégé start the investigation. Apollo quickly moved to investigate at the body. He leaned back in horror.

Von Karma lay face down in a pool of his own blood. The puddle seemed to be centred around his neck. Apollo was no coroner, but even he could tell Von Karma died from a wound there. He crouched down and tilted his head to get a better look.

 _Looks like his throat's been slit. In fact, you can even see his—_ He raised his hand to his mouth and started backing away from the corpse. _Oh god. That's_ nasty _. I think I'm going to hurl._

Apollo had seen corpses before; he was even there when LeTouse drew his last breath. But none of them were this… messy. He was thankful now defense attorneys like him usually had detectives who examined the bodies instead.

"I thought you had a stronger stomach than that," he heard Phoenix say. "To be fair, you're always squeamish when we watch horror movies at the office."

"I'm… fine. Apollo Justice is fine." He took a deep breath in, and let it out, before going back to investigate the corpse.

 _Okay, so that's how he died. I'm never looking at that again._ He decided that it would be best to wait for the autopsy report rather than investigating any other part of the body itself. He was about to turn away, when he saw something sticking out of Von Karma's jacket pocket.

"Ema, I think there's something in Von Karma's jacket," he called out, summoning the detective.

"Really?" Ema said, coming to his side. "I didn't notice anything there."

 _How could you miss this? I barely looked and I saw it._

"Well, it was pretty hard to find myself; it would've been easy to miss," he told her. "Do you think you could… you know, find out what it is?"

Ema looked puzzled. "Can't you lawyers just take a look yourself? I'm doing my own investigating."

"Umm… I didn't want to contaminate it or anything. It wouldn't be good if my fingerprints were found on a crucial piece of evidence."

"Fine," she grumbled. _I'm asking you to do your job. You don't have to get mad at me._

Ema already had plastic gloves on, so there wasn't anything else she had to do before touching the body. She reached down, and pulled out a small glass bottle from under Von Karma's jacket.

"What is it?" Apollo asked her.

"It seems to be nail polish," she said as she examined the bottle. "It's the same brand Kristoph used. I wonder why Von Karma had it on him."

Apollo felt his heart sink when he saw the label. Ema was right; it was same type that almost killed Vera Misham. This wasn't looking good for his client; after all, how many people here could possible use that expensive brand of nail polish? And right _on the body_ , too.

 _This isn't good._

"I guess I should see if any other prisoners use nail polish," Ema said. "I don't think this belongs to Von Karma; I met him at the police station a while back, and let's just say, he's not the kind of guy who would wear this stuff. My money's on it belonging to Gavin."

He wouldn't have taken her up on that bet. Apollo made a mental note about the bottle, and turned back to the body. He had to find more evidence. He had to look harder.

A few droplets of blood scattered along the ground led away from the corpse. His eyes followed it all the way to a box cutter lying on the floor. The edge of the blade was stained with blood.

"Ema. The box cutter there, is that the murder weapon?" he said, pointing to the knife.

She nodded. "Yeah. Judging by its placement, I'd say that the killer cut Von Karma's throat, and let his body fall to the ground before tossing the knife."

"Why would they do that?"

"The metal detectors. They cover the prison's exits, so it would be impossible for the killer to smuggle the knife out of here… Ah! I nearly forgot. It's about time I checked for prints." She ran over and grabbed the knife as she started running her tests. Within a minute, she had pulled off a fingerprint, and was comparing it to a list, no doubt carrying those of everyone involved in this case.

 _She sure moves fast. I don't blame her. This is probably her first chance to be a crime scene investigator instead of a detective in a while. I just hope the fact that it's not her actual job doesn't make the evidence invalid or anything._

"Apollo," she said, gazing at the list, "I got some bad news."

The defense attorney felt a chill run down his spine. _Please don't tell me that…_

"I'll need to have one of the CSI's confirm it, but from what I see here, it seems that the closest match to this fingerprint is your client. Again, might be wrong, but I think it'll end up being a match."

 _Things really aren't looking good for Kristoph. I mean, I could deal with the nail polish pretty easily. But… fingerprints on the murder weapon?! It's gonna be nearly impossible to—_

Apollo took a deep breath. He knew Kristoph was innocent. His bracelet never lied to him before. Even that time with Athena, it technically didn't lie to him. She wasn't telling him the truth, and it picked that up. It was his fault for assuming the worst. And this time, he asked Kristoph to the man's face whether he was responsible for the murder, and his old mentor didn't lie when he say he wasn't. It was completely different situation.

Besides, what kind of lawyer doubts their own client? Kristoph's life was in his hands… and Trucy's too. Apollo added the box cutter to his mental court record and continued.

Then, a thought occurred to him. Something here didn't make any sense. It seemed strange he hadn't noticed it before.

"Ema, why has Kristoph been charged?"

The detective looked confused. "Well, it's looks like his fingerprints on the murder weapon, which is pretty good evidence for the prosecution. I can see why they think he's guilty."

"But you just found that evidence now! The crime scene is only _now_ being investigated! I saw news of the murder three hours ago, meaning that the police knew about it for even longer. What happened in those three hours?" He extended his arm out, and pointed right at Ema. "Why has Kristoph been charged when the investigation still isn't complete?"

Ema fixed him with a stony glare as she became much more serious. "Hey, don't blame me for all this. I'm not the one who..." She frowned. "I'm not authorized to reveal that information."

"Why?"

"I'm not authorized to reveal that information," she slowly repeated, spacing each word out, as she turned away from him.

He decided to let the topic go. Everything about it made him feel uneasy. His bracelet felt tighter than usual, and the talisman in his pocket felt like it was getting warm. He backed off. He barely had any evidence, and the way these things usually went, it would probably be something he'd find out in the courtroom. He guessed being allowed to investigate the crime scene wasn't the free lunch he hoped it would be. It seemed the detective and the prosecution were still keeping tricks up their sleeves for the trial.

"Can you at least tell me _why_ Kristoph is being charged? You have to have _some_ evidence already if you're going to bring him to trial."

Ema crossed her arms and tilted her head back as she gazed at him. Her smile was somewhat unnerving. "The warden found some evidence that pointed to Gavin. Everything here at the crime scene is just confirming what we already know."

 _The warden, huh. I should try to find out what exactly this evidence is._ He glanced over to where the warden stood watching the crime scene.

However, he could save that for after he'd finished up here. He had to find as much evidence as he could before the prosecutor showed up. It seemed like the area around the body had been exhausted of all evidence, but that wasn't the whole crime scene. The moment he turned away, he spied a small white ball on the ground. He walked over to it, and knelt down to take a look. It was a Styrofoam packing peanut; the kind that you'd use when mailing something fragile. Apollo wondered what it was doing here. Still, he kept it in the back of his mind, adding it to his mental Court Record.

There wasn't much else that caught his attention there, but he wasn't finished yet. He wanted to investigate the area leading to Cell Block A. There might be nothing, but it was still worth a shot. The crime scene took up almost the entire width of the hallway; there was only a small section not blocked off by the tape, big enough for a person to go down the corridor about their business. He could use that to go see the warden after without having to re-enter the crime scene. He ducked under the tape again. As he expected, there seemed to be nothing of interest outside the scene of the murder. Still, he—

 _Wait, what was that?_ The thought pushed its way to the front of his mind, as he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. He looked down to his side. On the ground, tiny red droplets were spread out like bread crumbs. They beckoned him. Intrigued, he followed their lead and rounded a corner.

That's when he saw it, on the wall. In the hallway of gray metal and shiny chrome, it stood out like nothing else. A bloody handprint. He walked up to get a closer look.

"Nothing like a bloody handprint to make things interesting," he muttered.

From its size, Apollo guessed it was from an adult. It had been smeared a little bit. If Ema knew about it, perhaps she could find out who it belonged to. This could actually prove useful.

 _I need to tell Ema. If we can get this in the court record…_ He rushed over to the detective, dashing back under the police tape.

"Woah there," the detective said, surprised when he ran right up to her. She was still investigating the body. "You might step on something important if you're not careful." _Says the woman was planning to_ eat _in here._ "What is it, Apollo?"

"There's a bloody handprint right outside the crime scene. You should take a look."

"Bloody handprint?" Ema smiled. "Sounds exciting. I'll be sure to check it out." She looked over Apollo's shoulder to someone behind him; the lawyer guessed his boss. "Seems like your student is having a productive time, Wright."

Apollo turned to see his boss behind him. He was correct.

"Yeah. I have no doubt the evidence Apollo found will end up being useful tomorrow," Phoenix said.

"Well, that's nice, especially since—"

" _Mister Phoenix Wright! Get OUT of my crime scene."_

A shrill female voice rang through the hall, making Ema and his boss' eyebrows jump up in surprise.

"Oh," Phoenix muttered. "I can see why you don't like the prosecutor, Ema. You should've stuck with Gavin."

Apollo looked to where the sound came from, and saw a woman- who looked to be a few years older than him- standing in the hall. She had white skin, long silver hair that flowed past her shoulders, and wore a black dress that, for whatever reason, had white sleeves. She was holding something in her hand, but Apollo couldn't get a glimpse of what it was.

The woman started yelling again. "Well, you foolishly foolish fool? Did you not hear my order? GET OUT!"

"I heard you loud and clear, Franziska." Phoenix led Apollo to the edge of the crime scene, the one they were closest to, and they made their way around to back where they'd first entered, and where the woman now was. Apollo guessed it was so they wouldn't have to yell in order to talk to one another. "I take it you're prosecuting."

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be? My beloved uncle was murdered. You thought I would allow some random fool from this country's Prosecutor Office to take this case?" The woman, Franziska, smiled. "I look forward to facing off against you in court tomorrow, Mister Phoenix Wright. Now, it is _my_ turn to claim victory."

Phoenix smiled awkwardly, and rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh… actually, Franziska, Apollo here is the lawyer this time."

"What?" The woman took in a sharp breath, as if she had been attacked. "You _dare_ insult me by sending your student in your place, Mister Phoenix Wright!?"

She let the item in her hand unfurl itself, sending a _snap_ through the air, and allowing Apollo get a good look at it for the very first time.

 _Is that a… whip?_

Yes, it was. It was indeed a whip. Apollo could clearly see it was a whipe as she raised it up high to strike them down. He closed his eyes, and brought up his arms to protect himself. However, no pain shot through him, and the sound of the whip cracking never reached his ears. His eyes opened to see Warden Dent clutching Franziska's weapon.

"Ms. Von Karma," the warden said in a monotone, "I must inform you that weapons of any sort are not allowed inside the prison. That is one of the rules, and I'm afraid the rules apply to you as much as they apply to everyone else. As well, being struck by a whip will cause a person to bleed. Blood which doesn't belong to victim would contaminate this crime scene. You'll do well to know that this is in fact _my_ crime scene, as it seems none of you kids know how to behave yourselves. Now hand over the whip."

Apollo watched as Phoenix's eyes opened wide when she let go, letting the warden have it for now at least.

The warden took his cap off and placed the whip inside before putting it back on his head. "Thank you, Ms. Von Karma. Now, I need to get back to work."

Franziska crossed her arms, and glared at the warden as he walked away to resume his supervision of the crime scene. After a few seconds of that, she turned to the lawyers.

"It's… disappointing not being able to face off with you once again, Phoenix Wright. I took this case to convict my uncle's killer, but when I saw you here, I thought that you were in charge of the defense."

"Are you… apologizing to me, Franziska?" Phoenix could barely contain his grin.

"… I suppose so, Phoenix Wright." She turned to Apollo. "So, you shall be my opponent then?"

"Yes. My name is Apollo Justice."

"I am Franziska Von Karma. No doubt your mentor has spoken highly of me when hetold you of our many battles in court. I look forward to crushing you utterly."

 _I_ think _the boss mentioned her… maybe once._ Apollo decided it was best to nod in agreement.

Satisfied, she turned back to Phoenix. "Now, Mister Phoenix Wright, I believe you ought to leave. I do not know why the foolish detective allowed you to investigate, but I shall not allow it to continue any longer."

"Okay, Franziska. We found everything we needed already, anyway."

The look that appeared on the prosecutor's face told Apollo that she would have struck his boss at least 20 times if she had her whip on her. However, her expression quickly softened.

"Phoenix Wright... I have one more thing to say. And that is... I look forward to your coming party. I expect to be in a good mood, celebrating after I prove your student to be a fool in the courtroom."

"I'll be sure to tell Trucy you RSVP'ed, Franziska."

The two lawyers walked away. Out of the corner of his eye, Apollo saw Franziska duck underneath the crime scene tape to start her investigation.

"So, what do you want to do next?" Phoenix asked him.

"We should talk to the warden. He apparently has some big evidence against Gavin. It's what the prosecution is building their case on; Ema told me everything they found at the crime scene is just corroborating stuff they already knew."

"The evidence is quite strong, I can assure you, Mr. Justice." Both lawyers turned to see the warden standing right in front of them.

"Gah, W-Warden Dent," Apollo stuttered out. He had no idea he had been there, listening in. "I didn't see you."

"That was quite clear." The Snackoos' effect seemed to have worn off, and his face was all gaunt like before.

"Would you… uh… be willing to tell us what the evidence is?" Apollo asked.

"I'm not authorized to reveal that information. So, no is the answer." His expression never seemed to change.

 _Does this guy have any settings other than 'serious'?_ Apollo wondered.

"However," the warden continued, "I would be willing to let you investigate Gavin's cell. That is where I discovered the evidence that got Gavin charged, so don't expect to find anything important. I'm afraid my investigation claimed all of that."

"That's… a very good suggestion, Warden," Phoenix said. "Where is Gavin's cell?"

"Gavin's cell is A234. That means it's located in Cell Block A, which is where the A comes from, and which you can find just down the hall. The '2' means his cell is two floors above the ground level..."

 _In other words, the third floor._

"… and the '34' is his cell number. Head down the hall, and I'm sure you'll be able to find it. Gavin should still be in his session with Dr. Freud, so feel free to take a look."

"What if Kristoph doesn't want us in there?" Apollo asked. He knew Kristoph to be a very private person, and who wouldn't be happy if said privacy was disturbed.

"As the warden of this prison, I can authorize searches with or without the consent of the prisoner. So, it does not matter what Gavin wants or Gavin likes, I can have his cell searched whenever I please."

With that, the warden turned away, and left them to their devices. Seeing no other options, Apollo and Phoenix decided to go to Cell Block A. Hopefully, Kristoph's belongings could give them some answers.

Apollo was thankful he wouldn't have to re-enter the crime scene one more time. Even without her whip, that Franziska lady was still scary.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Again, sorry for the delay. November is National Novel Writing Month, and I'm participating, so my writing time has mainly been devoted to working on my book. I would like to thank all of you for the reviews you've been giving. It's really great to see your interest in this story. To respond to some of the reviews:**

 **Elchikaah Haly – Believe me, I'm also one of those people who are wary when canon characters suddenly get relatives. I feel with Von Karma, it's less egregious than doing something like giving Phoenix a sibling we've never heard about, since we know the Von Karma's are a family of prosecutors, and we already know there are members of the family we haven't seen yet (since Manfred had a grand kid whose dog is named Phoenix).**

 **Ruby – Thanks for appreciating my Bielefeld reference. Also, considering Warden Dent has confiscated it, you might have to wait a while to see Apollo whipped.**

 **Again, thanks for all the feedback. I hope you remain excited as to where this story is going.**

 **EDIT: Forgot it was Manfred's grandchild, not niece, who had the dog named Phoenix. Fixed my A/N.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Prison**

 **Cellblock A – Cell A234**

 **3:02 PM**

When they reached Kristoph's cell, a guard was already there waiting to let them in. The warden must have radioed ahead to make their lives easier.

"HERE YOU GO, SIRS," he yelled out as he saluted. "INVESTIGATE AS YOU PLEASE!"

"That guard seems kind of familiar. I think I might have met him somewhere before," Apollo heard Phoenix say as they stepped through the doorway framed by iron bars.

Kristoph's new cell was much less luxurious than his last one, which Apollo guessed gave his boss some comfort. He still had his chair and cushion, as well as his nightstand and a framed picture, but those were the only items that made the trip with him from Solitary Cell 13. He no longer had his violin, nor his large bookshelf (Apollo still wondered how Kristoph managed to get that last item into Central Prison in the first place. How it did fit it through the door?). Beside the picture frame, there was a letter, already opened. Phoenix seemed to take an immediate interest in it, moving almost unconsciously towards it.

"Boss," Apollo said. "I don't think that's the best idea." Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "What I meant was: it's probably better if I'm the one who looks at the letter; just in case Kristoph comes back."

Apollo couldn't really blame his boss for wanting to inspect Kristoph's mail. If he'd been able to do so last time, acquitting Vera Misham would have been much, _much_ easier.

Still, Kristoph was their client now, and he seemed to trust Apollo more than Phoenix. It would cause less trouble for the two if Apollo was the one caught.

 _Who am I kidding? If he finds out the boss tried going his mail again, he'll be pissed._

The letter lay open on the nightstand, making it easy for Apollo to take a look. He didn't even need to touch the paper at all to read it, so it was less likely Kristoph would notice someone had been snooping around his cell.

 _Snooping? Am I really snooping here? The warden gave us permission. We're allowed to be here._

 _Why does it feel like we're snooping then?_

He quickly glanced to the cell door before his eyes moved back to the paper. The letter was from Klavier, and it was dated a week before.

 _Mein bruder,_

 _I'm afraid I couldn't come to see you in person this week to deliver the news myself; I had work. I'm sure as a former member of the legal profession, you understand how important work is. Anyway, I looked through the dates you gave me, and talked it over with Mutter. She's planning on visiting the both of us near the end of the summer. I'm guessing we'll be seeing each other then; as I'll likely be accompanying her when she comes to the prison. I don't know what exact date she will visit, but it will be in the last week of August._

 _She's been putting off this meeting, you know. I don't think you realize how much the news that her eldest son is a murderer took a toll on her. She blames herself for your crimes, and it's caused her health to worsen. I know you probably weren't thinking of her when you did the things you did, but I want you to know that your actions are causing harm to not just your victims, but everyone that was close to you. I wish I could make you feel regret, but I know I can't._

 _To end things on a lighter note, I would like to thank you for your heads-up. It seems you can still act like a big brother sometimes. I believe I will enjoy the show, though sadly, a certain Fraulein won't be available on the 15th. Still, thanks for giving me the news. I don't know what I would have done if I'd missed one of his concerts._

 _Good health,_

 _Klavier Gavin_

Okay, nothing incriminating there. It seemed that not _every_ piece of Kristoph's mail was evidence that could make or break a case. Still, Apollo decided to make note of its contents in the Court Record. Knowing how his trials usually went, this would probably serve a purpose later.

 _I didn't know Gavin had a mother… wait, that's stupid. Of_ course _he has a mother; everyone does. Even me… I-It's… I just didn't know that she was still alive, that's all._

 _Poor woman._

"What does it say?" Phoenix asked him. "Who wrote it? Did you find anything useful?"

"The letter's from Klavier. Apparently, Kristoph's mother is planning to visit him in August, and… I don't think this has much to do with the case."

Phoenix nodded. He looked almost… disappointed. "Okay, then."

Apollo moved away from the nightstand, and began searching the rest of his client's cell. Even with everything Warden Dent had taken from this place, there must be something around that could help their case. _There has to be._

He took in his surroundings once again, but there wasn't anything else that caught his attention. Other than the things Kristoph had brought in, there was a bed and a toilet. The place was just so _sparse_ … which, now that he thought about it, Apollo guessed was the point. Prison cells weren't supposed to be luxurious, after all.

He let out a disappointed sigh and started making his way back to the door. Seeing as there was nothing else, it would probably be best if they left the cell. Again, having Kristoph find them in here would probably be very, very bad. Suddenly, he felt something catch on his foot, and before he knew it, he'd fallen forward onto the ground.

"Oof," he grunted as he lifted his face off the concrete. He looked up to see his boss trying his hardest to supress his laughter. A few chuckles managed to escape.

 _Seriously? Is now really the time for this?_

"Oh come on, Apollo, it was funny," Phoenix said, answering his internal question.

Apollo turned around to see what he had tripped on, and found an overturned wastebasket in front of him. Scattered on the floor were a few scraps of paper. Apollo groaned; now it would be really hard to disguise the fact that he and Phoenix had been poking around Kristoph's cell. He picked up the basket, and moved it back over to where he'd guessed it had been before. When he'd finished with that, he started picking up the various pieces of paper that lay on the ground. Most of them were just rough drafts of a letter Kristoph had been writing. Apollo knew his mentor was meticulous; if there was a single error in his penmanship, Kristoph would throw the entire thing out and start anew.

As he was cleaning up his mess, one of the pieces caught his eye. It was unlike all the others. Instead of being written by hand, it had been typed, with a typewriter by the looks of it.

 _I had no idea people still used those,_ Apollo thought to himself, as he looked on at the scrap which had now taken his full attention.

The ink used was black, contrasting vividly against the white of the paper. Kristoph normally wrote with blue, making the scrap seem even more out of place. The message seemed almost like a receipt.

 _Gavin, Kristoph – Cell A234_

 _Order: Nail Polish – 1 bottle_

 _Expected Delivery Date: July 17 - July 20_

 _Consider this me working to pay back that favour I owe you - S._

It seemed the receipt was sent by this 'S' person to Gavin. A receipt for nail polish.

 _Maybe this 'S' could be a lead. I think it would help our case if we try to seek them out._

 _Well, frankly, I don't see what else we can do. The evidence seems to be stacked against my client… the evidence I've seen, that is._

The typewriter seemed like a good clue to start on. They were rare nowadays, so if Apollo could find the owner of the typewriter, it shouldn't be too hard to find who could use it. He hoped it would be enough to find 'S'.

He picked up the rest of the papers, keeping the receipt for himself, and made everything in Gavin's cell look ordered, just like his former mentor would want it. When he finished, he made a note to get this new evidence placed into the Court Record after they'd left.

"What did you find there?" Phoenix asked.

Apollo moved up beside Phoenix, and showed him the receipt. "It looks like a receipt for a bottle of nail polish. But look here." He pointed to where the comment was. "It seems Gavin got the nail polish with the help of this 'S'. It might not amount to anything, but it's the only lead we got."

Suddenly, Apollo heard a voice come from behind him. "Going through garbage? I thought your type would have at least a bit of self-respect."

Apollo jumped in surprise, turning to find himself facing a man wearing a light brown suit, whose eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses. He had black hair and looked to be in his thirties.

He shook his head, as he gave them a small, yet smug, smile. "Of course, when searching for evidence, everything goes." He turned his head slightly so he was looking straight at Apollo. "That's just how you defence attorneys do things, isn't it?"

"…"

Neither attorney knew how to respond to this stranger. As Apollo looked on at him, he wondered how long he'd been standing there, watching them, and how he managed to sneak up on them in the first place.

The stranger took their silence as an invitation to continue. "I can understand where you're coming from, of course. Though I have to admit, I find it interesting that you, of all people, are defending Mr. Gavin. He betrayed the trust of one of you, and ruined the life of the other. And yet, you'd still go to bat for the guy." He made a small swinging motion with both his hands. "It's almost as if… Mr. Gavin isn't the only reason you're taking this case."

Strangely enough, it was that comment which allowed Apollo to regain his voice. "I took this case because my client is innocent. I intend to prove that in the courtroom and reveal the truth of what happened here."

The man started laughing. "You know, some people here would do _anything_ to stop the truth from coming out. Some of them are here because they _couldn't_ keep the truth from coming out." He moved close to the two attorneys, placing his hands in his jacket pockets, and lowering his voice. "What I'm saying is, the truth ain't always your ally. That applies to you lawyers as well. Sometimes, the truth wants to help the people you're fighting against."

Staring down this strange man in a suit, Apollo had no idea what to say. Several options swirled through his mind. He ended up going with the first one that made its way to his tongue.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to reveal that information, Mr. Justice," he said, smirk plastered on his face. "For now, you can call me Mr. Beige."

"Beige, huh? Are you by any chance looking to rob a bank? Because there's a couple of guys I know who'd be right up your alley."

Beige seemed to take Apollo's joke in stride, letting out a short round of chuckles. "You. Are. Funny. I heard you were the snarky one."

"Who told you?"

"Not authorized to reveal that information, either."

Apollo's nostrils flared as he took a deep breath in, and let it out, frustrated. "Can you at least tell us why you're talking to us now? What you're doing in this cell?"

"Simple," Beige said. "I wanted to see you two up close. You see, I've had my eye on you for a while. I've been watching you ever since you first stepped into the prison."

 _So it wasn't just the cameras, after all. Huh._

"And why have you been spying on us?"

"Because…" Beige tilted his head forward, and pulled his sunglasses down slightly, so the two of them could see his eyes, green, for the first time. "…I find you interesting, Mr. Justice. You see, I don't want anything bad to happen to you two. Think of me like a big brother, who's trying to keep watch over his little siblings."

 _So Big Brother is watching? Great… Just great._

Beige moved his glasses back over his eyes, hiding them once again. "Also, I needed to stay close to use this."

He pulled what looked like a black TV remote out from inside his jacket. Looking at the device, Apollo saw that there were a few lights on it. _What on earth is_ that _?_

Beige seemed to notice Apollo's incredulous expression. "This here is jammer. It interferes with and blocks all cell phone communication. I heard you try to make a call earlier, Mr. Wright." He waved the jammer in front of Phoenix. "Sorry," he said, smug and obviously insincere.

"Who are you?" Now it was Phoenix's turn to ask that question. "You need to be some sort of big shot to have something like that. It's nearly impossible to get a hold of that kind of technology."

He wore a sinister grin. "Already told you, I'm Mr. Beige."

Apollo watched as his boss' face twisted into a scowl. Beige seemed to be successfully getting under his skin.

"Now, I'm going to guess that Gavin doesn't know you're here, and from the way you tidied up his garbage, nice job, by the way, I take it you want him to continue not knowing that. I mean, if he finds out, he wouldn't hesitate to sabotage your defence. It's not as though he cares about the trial either way, and it'd be such a shame if someone were to tell him you were poking around, wouldn't it?"

"What do you want?" Apollo asked. It didn't take a genius to pick up on his threat.

Beige extended his hand forward. "I want to make a deal, Mr. Justice. You see, it's beneficial to my interests that no new information about this case leaks out of here. I also don't want to be following you around all day, blocking every single phone call you make. So, if you don't tell anyone about what's going on here, besides the basics, of course, I won't tell Gavin you were searching through his stuff. Do we have an agreement?"

For the second time that day, Apollo was forced into a deal he really wished he didn't have to make. First with defending Gavin after Trucy's life was put in danger, and now, following the instructions of this mysterious man in a suit.

He shook Beige's hand. "We have a deal." He didn't bother trying to hide his glare he was giving the man. From Beige's smile, he either didn't care or he was actively taking pleasure in this.

"Good," Beige said as he finished the handshake. "Now, I need to go. I have some important business to attend to." He raised his arm to look at his watch. When Apollo caught sight of the brand, an honest-to-god Röller, he nearly had a heart attack. That watch cost more than he made in a year. "I'd suggest you leave as well. Gavin's appointment with the good Dr. Freud should be done by now. Wouldn't want to him catch you here, would you?"

Beige stepped out, leaving the two of them alone in Kristoph's cell. Right as he passed the iron bars, he turned and quickly left their sight. The two attorneys followed him, seconds later. But when they reached the hallway, they found no sign of the man they had just conversed with. He just seemed to appear and disappear.

Getting a better look at the area immediately surrounding Kristoph's cell, Apollo concluded the explanation to be of the mundane variety. Down the row of cells, in the direction Beige went, there was another hallway that crossed the one they were in. Beige probably reached the hallway and moved behind the corner to get out of sight.

 _Still, what's the guy's deal? I've never met someone so smug and self-assured... Except maybe Klavier._

Apollo turned around, and saw the guard who'd let them in was still stationed outside of the cell. The young attorney smiled. He probably knew where Beige went.

"Um, excuse me," Apollo said to the guard.

"WHAT DO YOU NEED, SIR."

 _No need to yell._ He saw a megaphone attached to his belt. _Please don't use that. You're already too loud as it is._

"I was wondering where the man in the beige suit went. The one who was just inside this cell here."

The guard started twiddling his thumbs, and looked towards them, away from Apollo. "Uh… Umm… I… Uh… Are you two finished investigating the cell?"

"How about you answer my question first?"

The guard ignored Apollo, continuing as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I need to know whether or not you're finished inside this cell. If you are, I'll radio in to get the door closed."

 _What the hell is going on here?_

It didn't make sense. Why was this guard avoiding his question? Why was he refusing to acknowledge what he'd seen right in front of him? He needed to get to the bottom of this, one way or another.

Apollo was about to set off with Phoenix when he heard a familiar ringtone. It was the Steel Samurai theme, and it seemed to be coming from his pocket. He reached inside and pulled out his phone.

"Hello," he said, answering the call.

"P-Polly." It was Trucy. "Y-You have to come back to the office! Right now!"

"Trucy, I'm in the middle of doing something important at the moment. Can this wait 'til later?"

"P-Please, Polly, please. You have to come over! It's an emergency! I… I don't what to do!"

Phoenix was staring at him, and looking in his eyes, Apollo could see only one emotion blazing through: fear. They were pleading with him, demanding to know what danger his daughter was in.

"Okay, Trucy, we'll be right over." Apollo slammed the phone shut, and the two of them ran as fast as they could to get out of this prison.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you're all still excited to see where things are going next. I had to fix some minor things up last weekend, so because of that and final exams, my posting was delayed. However, it's now up, and I should be able to get more writing done next semester since I'm on a work term.**

 **Objections and Hint Coins – Glad you're enjoying the story, and thanks for the reviews.**

 **If any of you have comments or questions about the story, please leave a review. I always like hearing feedback.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Wright Anything Agency**

 **Lobby**

 **3:41 PM**

From outside the agency, he could hear people struggling. It sounded like there was a fight going on! None of the lights were on. He couldn't see inside.

 _Oh no. Please no,_ he thought. Despite his best efforts, he could only imagine the worst. He only hoped it wasn't too late.

He threw open the door to the agency.

"Trucy!" he yelled out as he struggled to regain his breath. The trip from the prison had taken its toll.

No, he hadn't run the entire way from the prison to the agency, but gridlocked traffic had forced him to sprint down a couple city blocks, and up a few flights of stairs.

He had to make sure Trucy was safe. He just had to.

"Trucy! Where are you?" he cried out again, his voice hoarse. "Please! Trucy!"

A figure stood up from behind the couch, cloaked in shadow. They seemed to be silhouetted by a strange white light.

The figure… Apollo could barely see them. _Who… who are they?_

Right as he was about to ask, the figure began to speak:

"Oh hey, Polly. Where've you been?"

The lights flicked on, and he finally managed to get a good look out at the state of the agency. His assistant was standing in front of him, behind the couch. Athena and Miss Iris were sitting beside her.

"T-Tru… T-Trucy!" he stammered.

He just stood there, dumbfounded. He didn't know what else to say. It was like his voice had been taken from him. For you know, the seventh time that day.

"Polly, if you're going to interrupt Steel Samurai, have something to say," she pouted.

"S-Steel… Steel Samurai!" He glanced behind her, and noticed that the television in the office's lobby was on… and blaring noise. _That must have been the light I saw._

It was a new episode, and the Steel Samurai and his enemy Corporal I-Don't-Know (he didn't care) were mid-battle in a field of white flowers.

 _And that explains the fight I heard._

 _Okay,_ he thought, clutching his chin like he did in the courtroom, _Trucy seems to be okay…_ _Wait a minute! Why did she call me about the emergency then?_ His eyes widened. _Could it be the office was attacked, but the perp was scared away?_

"Trucy," he said. "About your phonecall? Are you—"

"Wow, you overreacted. Athena and I were going to ask you what you wanted to get Daddy for his lawyer anniversary gift." She looked away from him, still grumpy. It kind of reminded him of Ema. "Why do you think I called _you_ , instead of Daddy?"

 _This… This was what we rushed back to the office for?_ Apollo thought as his hair spikes seemed to droop over his forehead. _I paid money for a cab in order to get here! Does Trucy have any idea what danger she's…_

"TRUCY!" Phoenix yelled as he barrelled through the door. He bent over, and supported himself on his knees.

Athena jumped up from her place on the couch and yelped. "Mr. Wright!"

Trucy glared at Apollo. "Why did you bring him?"

 _Oh wait! She doesn't,_ he realized as he watched her mood seemingly begin to improve, laughing at her father's antics. _Nobody knows but the boss and me. The voice on the phone said we couldn't talk to the police, and I don't think I should Trucy, but still… I can at least tell her we're doing something important._

"Uhh… Trucy…"

"Yes, Polly," she said, smiling.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but your father and I are working on an important case. We have a new client. I get you're excited for the party, but you can't call me up and ask me to rush over here when I'm trying to investigate a crime scene."

Phoenix straightened himself, finally realizing everything was actually okay. "Trucy," he said, "Just… do as Apollo says. I need to sit down." Apollo knew he wasn't the type to chew out his daughter.

"I'm sorry, but…Why did you two freak out, Daddy?" she asked.

 _You don't want to know, Trucy. Believe me, you don't want to know._

Apollo and Phoenix both stayed silent, his boss moving towards to no doubt relax in his chair after all the sprinting he had to do. Phoenix let out a deep breath as he entered his office before kicking the door shut. Apollo heard him collapse in his chair.

"Who's the client? For the new case, I mean?" he heard Athena say behind him.

He turned to find her with one hand in a bowl of popcorn that was sitting on the sofa.

"It doesn't matter, Athena." Apollo spoke loudly. He needed to in order for her to hear him over the television. "He's my client. It's not your case."

 _I don't want the girls to know I'm defending the guy who cost the boss his badge in the first place. If she or Trucy spoke to the wrong people…_

"So, it's a guy. Good to know," she said, before stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth, turning her attention back to the Steel Samurai. Thank god she didn't the issue.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the appeal of this program, Ms. Cykes," Iris said, looking confused at the whole ordeal.

Apollo sympathized with Iris. Sure, he would watch it with Trucy, Athena, and the boss, but it wasn't something he'd go out of his way to see.

Also, he was still angry about Athena changing his ringtone, and some of that anger was towards the show.

He… didn't understand the hype, okay?

"So, Polly," Trucy said, breaking him out from his thoughts. "If you're defending someone…" She started pouting again. "…then you might miss the party!"

"Trucy, trials last at the most three days. So, whether I win or lose, unless that changes, I'll be done by that afternoon. No investigations either." He tried his best to shrug. "Besides, I've never even had a trial that's lasted for longer than two days anyway, so you probably don't even need to worry about that."

"Okay," she said, nodding her head. "Can I come with you, then? It's kind of boring here at the office, even with Thena and Sister Iris."

"Sister?"

"Didn't Daddy ever tell you Iris was a nun?"

"…" _No, he didn't._ "Anyway, I think it's best if you stay here. Your dad and I can handle this case just fine."

"Aww… Why not, Polly?" she whined, stretching out his nickname for as long as she could.

"Oh! Before I forget…" Athena spoke up out of nowhere, not even turning to look at him. "Prosecutor Gavin's in your office. He's been waiting there thirty minutes."

"What?" _He heard everything going on out here, and still didn't show himself? Or watch the Steel Samurai?_

"Yeah. You might want to go see him."

"Thanks, Athena. I think I will." _Saves me from having to give Trucy an explanation._

As Apollo walked over to his office, he thought about what Phoenix had told him earlier: Klavier had another reason for wanting him on the case. Something he had to figure out.

He put his hand into his pocket, and started clutching the talisman within. According to his boss, it would allow him to figure out why the prosecutor asked him to defend Kristoph. He had a pretty good idea as to what the reason was, but he still wanted to hear it from Klavier himself.

Confident, and ready to uncover the truth, he opened the door to his office, a smile on his face.

He found Klavier Gavin standing, leaning against one of the walls. He looked a bit impatient, but it wasn't enough that he sat down. Even though Apollo had been investigating the prison, he still would have felt bad if he found out he'd kept his friend waiting like that.

The prosecutor turned his head to face Apollo, having noticed the sound of the door. "Ah, Herr Forehead. It's nice to see you again."

 _He's calling me Herr Forehead again. Good sign._

"It's good to see you too, Klavier."

"How is _mein bruder_ 's case coming along?" he asked, his features suddenly serious. "I heard you took it. Is everything all right?"

"First off, I think you were right about Kristoph being innocent," Apollo said, sitting on the side of his desk, facing his friend. His reply brought a smile to the prosecutor's lips. "The evidence isn't looking good, though. I have faith, but it's going to be a tough fight. I need to investigate the prison some more before the trial starts."

"Good to hear." Klavier let out a relieved sigh. "Do you have any idea who actually did it?"

Apollo shook his head. "No. I'm afraid not." _Now would be a good time to ask._ "Speaking of which, there's something I wanted to ask you. Klavier… is there another reason you wanted me to take your brother's case?"

A pause. "No, Herr Justice, there isn't." The prosecutor frowned. "The only reason I asked you was I believed he was innocent."

His offices seemed to melt into a black void. Chains began coming from out of nowhere, springing out from the corners of Apollo's vision.

 _CLANK!_

A single red lock appeared over Klavier's chest, hooking onto the chains.

 _What the?_ Klavier didn't seem to notice what was happening to him at all.

Apollo jaw dropped as he tried to make sense of what the _hell_ just happened. _Okay… just need to calm down… This must one of the 'Psyche-Locks' the boss told me about. I… I need to remember what he told me about them._

As they were walking over to Kristoph's cell, Phoenix had given him an explanation on what 'Psyche-Locks' were, and how to break them.

 _So, they represent the secret Klavier is keeping from me, and how tightly he's holding onto it,_ he remembered _. Like how my bracelet can figure out whether someone is lying or not. More locks mean I need to work harder in order to get to the truth. Since he only has one lock, he must not be too concerned about keeping this from me. And what did he say about unlocking these things, again?_

Apollo closed his eyes (mainly so he didn't have to look at those awful chains), and touched his forehead with two fingers as he pondered.

 _Right! I need to present evidence that shows him the truth he's been keeping from me. Shouldn't be too hard; it's basically what I do for a living._

 _Though apparently, giving a person something they want can also work. Not sure what that means, exactly._

Apollo opened his eyes, ready to break these locks.

"Klavier," he said, "I think you're lying to me. I believe you have a connection to this case… other than your brother, I mean."

"Really?"

"Yes, and I'll tell you exactly who it is."

Apollo thought about all the people he had met so far that were connected to the case. It took him next to no time to make his choice.

"There's a connection between you and the victim. You probably already know… in fact, you probably knew this even _before_ your brother was suspected, but the victim is Wilhelm Von Karma, a prosecutor like yourself."

Klavier crossed his arms, and stared right into Apollo, just like his brother used to do. "There are many prosecutors working around the world, Herr Justice. Just because he and I share the same job, does not mean we are connected, ja?"

The way he looked at him; it scared the defense attorney. It was moments like these where he was reminded that Klavier was, in fact, Kristoph's brother, even though he had never seen Klavier act like this before.

Still, he worked up his courage, and pressed on. "Except Von Karma wasn't just any ordinary prosecutor. In fact, you two are very alike, though you probably don't want to admit that."

 _Now,_ Apollo thought, _time to show him evidence that Von Karma was a different type of prosecutor; the type of prosecutor Klavier would have taken an interest in._

Apollo reached into his pocket with his free hand, and pulled out the flyer Warden Dent had given him; the one advertising Von Karma's night of opera. He held it in front of Klavier's face. "Von Karma was both a musician and prosecutor, just like you used to be. I say that makes him pretty unique, especially when you compare him to the other prosecutors around here." _Besides the samurai, of course_.

Klavier brushed the paper aside with his hand. "So what? That's merely a coincidence. You can't convict people based on just that, Herr Justice. You need proof."

"Sure, Klavier. I agree with you there. _One_ coincidence is easy to wriggle out of, but remember, we managed to convict your brother using coincidences. There was no direct evidence linking Kristoph to Drew Misham's murder… but there were a lot of coincidences. Enough to convince a jury of Vera's innocence." Klavier seemed to tense up at those words.

Apollo set the flyer down on the table, and placed his hand into his vest pocket, ready to take out his next piece of evidence. "Besides," he added, "I don't need coincidences…" _This is it!_ "I have evidence; evidence you won't be able to explain your way out of."

Standing up, he pulled out his phone, and brought up a picture of the letter he'd found in Kristoph's cell. He'd taken a photo of it for the Court Record. "Here," he said, handing it to Klavier. "Look at this."

" _Mein gott,_ " Apollo heard the prosecutor mutter. "How did you get a hold of this?"

Apollo smiled. "The boss and I ended up searching Kristoph's cell during our investigation. It was lying there open on his nightstand. According to your own writing, you saw a concert two days ago, on July 15th, the same day as Von Karma's night of opera."

"That would be proof if Von Karma was the only one performing that night. But in a city this big, you can find musicians playing everywhere. How do you know I wasn't at one another concert? Besides…" He gave Apollo a cocky smile. "…do I really look like the kind of guy who enjoys opera?"

"No, but looks can be deceiving. I'm sure you're right, there were other concerts happening in the city on the 15th. But you say yourself that Kristoph was the one who told you about the concert _you_ attended, so if I want to find out where you went that night, all I need to do is ask him. So why don't you just tell me the truth."

"…"

 _Come on._

"… You got me, Herr Forehead."

The lock hovering over Klavier shattered, and Apollo watched in satisfaction as the chains unwound themselves. His vision seemed to return to normal; he had left the black void behind, and was back in his office.

The defense attorney let go of the talisman, took out his now free hand, and held his palm open. The prosecutor handed him back his phone, even though he seemed a bit reluctant to do so.

Apollo slipped his phone back into his vest. "I take it you're a big fan of his music, then?"

"Somewhat," he said with a sigh. "My parents took Kristoph and I to one of his concerts in Germany when we were both young boys. I enjoyed the music, but it was Von Karma who captivated me. Back then, I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do with my life. I loved music from a very young age, but I also wanted to go into law, just like my father. And then I saw Von Karma, who managed to be a world class prosecutor and a famous baritone at the same time. He showed me I didn't have to choose; that I could be both a musician and a prosecutor. For that, he became my idol."

"And that must be the other reason you wanted me to take this case. You want the person who killed the man you idolized to be brought to justice."

"Exactly," Klavier said with a nod. "I don't think my brother killed him, and I would never forgive myself if I let my idol's murderer get away just to spite Kristoph."

"Then why keep it from me?" Apollo asked. "Why didn't you just tell me when I first took the case?"

The prosecutor looked away from him. "Opera was always more… Kristoph's thing. I didn't want people to find out that him and I share that interest. I…" He started playing with his hair. Unlike the other times Apollo had seen him do that, he seemed uncomfortable. "…don't like being compared to my brother. I didn't like it before, and now…"

"I understand," Apollo said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Imagine what it's like being his apprentice."

"It seems his shadow still clings to us both," Klavier said with a frown. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody about this."

"I will if you don't tell Kristoph that I searched through his cell."

The prosecutor smirked. "That I will do," he said, before pointing a finger at Apollo. "Though I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain."

"Don't worry, I will," Apollo said. "No one will discover your secret love for opera from me." _Considering the boss knew about it, I don't think Klavier's 'secret' is as well-kept as he thinks._

"I was so excited when I heard that Von Karma would be working in this city for a while. I managed to get several autographs from him at the Prosecutor's Office. He was happy to oblige, but…" He started laughing. "…imagine me, a rockstar, acting like a fangirl to a prosecutor in his sixties. I'd say there's a strange irony to be found in that."

 _Wait…_ Something he said intrigued Apollo. Considering how he wasn't able to find anything about it at the prison, he decided now would be a good time to ask.

"Klavier, do you know what Von Karma was doing in this city?" _Warden Dent lied to me about this; I need to know why._

"I'm afraid I don't know the exact details, Herr Forehead, but I know he was meeting a lot with the Chief Prosecutor, as well as my favourite Fraulein and the lovely Chief Psychologist." He began playing with his hair again, this time in a better mood. "I remember asking the two ladies out for drinks, but the detective called me a 'fop' and Fraulein Freud told me she was too old for a man my age."

 _So, Von Karma was meeting with Ema and Dr. Freud… Interesting._

"Anyway, I should go. I have my own case to look after. Still, I'm glad my brother is in good hands. I wish you luck," he said. He waved goodbye as he walked towards the door.

Apollo didn't put up any resistance, instead choosing to think more on what he'd just heard. _If the Chief Prosecutor is meeting with the same people regularly, it must be for something important. I wonder what…_

"Ah! Frauleins, I'm afraid I didn't see you there. I am sorry for my mistake. Es tut uns leid. No autographs," he heard Klavier say, his train of thought grinding to a sudden halt.

He turned towards the doorway. Crouched down beside it were Trucy and Athena, the latter rubbing her head. Likely, Klavier had bumped into her.

 _Wait a minute. If they were beside the door like that, then…_

Apollo walked over. "I thought we trusted each other enough here that we didn't have to _spy_ on each other," he said once Klavier had left the agency.

"Sorry, Polly," Athena said, all sunshine and rainbows. "I wanted to find out who you managed to snag as a client. Never thought it would be Prosecutor Gavin's brother. Sounds like a challenge." Despite the news, the young attorney seemed to still be in a good mood. _To be expected. Kristoph had been already convicted when we hired Athena. She didn't have to experience those trials._

Trucy, however, was a completely different story. When he saw her, she was purposely looking away from him, eyes holding back tears.

 _If Trucy heard, then… Oh no. Not now. I can't deal with this now._

Her voice began to crack. "Polly, when were you going to tell me your client was Kristoph Gavin?" she asked.

Her next words were quiet, and cut into him sharper than any knife. "When were you going to tell me you're defending my father's killer?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Here's a new chapter for all of you to enjoy. And I hoped you did enjoy it. It certainly was a fun one to write, and trying my hands at writing a Psyche-Lock sequence was a challenge.**

 **Also, after this chapter, I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus. You see, I still haven't played Spirit of Justice, because of my classes last semester, and I want to get through that before I post anything more. I don't know how long it's going to take me, since I'm working, but once I'm done that, I'll post Chapter 8, along with my other AA story I've been writing.**

 **So, get excited. If you like the story or have any comments, please leave a review. I appreciate the feedback.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Wright Anything Agency**

 **Lobby**

 **4:02 PM**

"Trucy… Please!" Apollo begged as he tried catching up to her. "Just let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, Polly," she said, stopping to look at him. He could tell she was trying to her hardest to hold back tears. When Trucy was sad, _actually_ sad, he found that she would do her best to cover it up. "You're defending a murderer. The same man who killed my father and made Daddy lose his job. How could you do that?"

Thankfully, he had the answer. "Because he's innocent, Trucy," he told her. "He may be… a killer, but he's not responsible for this crime."

"How do you know that? How do you he's not lying to you, and he's just pretending to care about your feelings and problems because he wants to make sure no one finds out about what he did?" Tears started leaking from her eyes. "How can you trust a man like that, Polly? How?"

He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I asked him, Trucy. I went to the prison and asked him if he was responsible for the murder." He looked her straight in the eyes, which were now freely flowing with tears. "And after I asked him, he told me he wasn't, and my bracelet didn't react at all. He isn't lying, Trucy. He's actually innocent this time."

"T-That doesn't mean anything, Polly," she said, squeezing her eyes shut and looking away from him. "Maybe he's found a way to trick your bracelet? He's a murderer! He's a killer that took people away from me, and you want to _save_ him. I hate you! I hate you, Polly! Hate you!"

He wasn't surprised by Trucy's reaction, unfortunately. A little part of him hated himself for taking this case as well. It thought things would be better off if he just left Kristoph to his fate. But deep down, he would never be able to forgive himself. He would never be able to look himself in the mirror again. It would haunt him for the rest of career, because he had the chance to help an innocent man, and he refused for personal reasons. If he did that, he would never be able to call himself a lawyer again. He could stand hating himself at the moment, but he would never be able to go on carrying that weight.

"He's a monster, Polly. What he did to Daddy and Vera was unforgivable! Have you forgotten everything he's done? Why? Why do you want to save this killer?"

He pulled her in close, and wrapped his arms around her, shocking the young magician.

"Trucy," he said softly. "I haven't forgotten Kristoph's crimes. And I will never forgive him for the things he did. Believe me."

"Then why?" she said, burying her head in his shoulder. "Why?"

"Because it's my job. Kristoph may have murdered people and hurt us, but he's not guilty this time, and I'm not going to let the things he did make me forget about being the defense attorney your father taught me to be." He left Kristoph out. Although his former mentor had taught him just as many lessons as his current boss, Trucy didn't need to hear it. She was already dealing with enough. He would lie about the fact that he still somewhat respected his old mentor if it meant making her happy.

"A defense attorney is a person that uncovers the truth and protects people. It doesn't matter who those people were before. If they're accused of a crime, it's the defense attorney's job to step in and defend them." Apollo wasn't a sentimental person, but even he could feel tears beginning to well up. "I wouldn't be a good attorney if I turned my back on an innocent man, even he's guilty of other crimes. Trucy… if you hate me, that's okay. Just… understand that I'm trying to save someone from being executed for a crime he didn't commit. And if it turns out you're right, and he's guilty, I won't let him escape justice. Just please, understand that."

He hoped that would be enough. If it wasn't… well, he could live with that too.

She pulled herself out of his hug and wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're really sure he's innocent?"

"Yes, I am."

She leaned forward and held her hands up in front of her, even though her puffy eyes made her look less serious than she usually did pulling that pose on him. "And you're going to show the court he's innocent?"

Apollo just nodded this time.

"Then I want you to show me he's innocent too. I want to see for myself whether he's guilty or not."

 _She's going to ask me to do_ that _, isn't she?_

"Polly, I want to help you investigate."

 _She did. I knew it._

Trucy continued. "If Kristoph Gavin is innocent, then I want to help you save him. And after you save him, I want him to know that he owes his life to me. I want him to know so that, every night when he goes to bed, he remembers that the little girl whose father he killed is one of the people he has to thank for his miserable life. So please let me help, Polly. Please."

 _I didn't know Trucy could think like that._ Apollo started rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know, Trucy. I'll have to get your father's permission first."

"He'll say yes," she said, perking up a bit. She still seemed sad, but he could tell she was doing better than when she first heard the news. "Daddy always lets me investigate with you guys when I want to."

"I still need to ask him." _The boss might have a different answer this time since Trucy's life is in danger._

"I'll be in my room then, so you know where to find me when he says yes."

She walked over to the door and opened it up before closing it right behind her. Apollo let out a sigh once she was gone. He'd managed to win Trucy over, and didn't need to tell her someone was out to kill her in order to do so. He could have said that he was only defending Kristoph to save her life, but he wanted as few people to know about the threat as possible. The mysterious voice was adamant about him not telling the police, and the fewer people that knew, the less likely it was to reach them.

"I'm glad to see that Ms. Wright is happy again," Apollo heard someone say behind him.

"Sister Iris," he said, turning around, "I didn't know you were there."

"It's okay," she said with a smile, before becoming a little more serious. "From what I heard, I take it this Mr. Gavin has hurt you greatly."

"He has, and… Actually, do you think we can talk in my office?"

"O-Of course, Mr. Justice."

He led Iris to his office door and opened it for her. After she had gone through, he checked the area. He didn't want to have someone spy on his conversation in here again. Satisfied, he shut the door, and locked it.

"You know, Mr. Justice," Iris said, glancing around his office. "I really liked what you said about how a defense attorney is someone who finds the truth and protects people. It was very inspirational."

Apollo let out a sigh. "Don't tell Trucy this, but I got that quote from Gavin."

"R-Really!" she said, raising a hand to her mouth. She looked positively shocked. "I-I… How?"

He walked over his desk and sat down. "The boss might not have told you, but he wasn't the first person to hire me. Before I worked for him, I worked for Gavin. He was the one who taught me the ropes of the legal system, helped me get my badge, hell, he even pushed me through law school. Despite everything that's happened, I still… respect him, for helping me."

"... I see. And you're right… Feenie never told me you worked for the man who stole his badge. He told me about his trial, but he never said who you worked for at the time."

 _Of course he didn't._ Apollo felt the urge to punch his boss again rising, even though he wasn't exactly surprised by Phoenix's actions. It was bad enough that he'd gotten the rookie attorney to use forged evidence in that trial, but that he was going around babbling about it to other people just pissed Apollo off.

The young attorney nervously laughed. "Well, the more you know."

"And because he was your mentor, that's one of the reasons you want to defend him, even though Ms. Wright does not?"

"It's more than that," he said. "You see, I spent my teenage years in an orphanage. I kind of forgot what it was like to have a father in there. When Kristoph took me under his wing, he became someone I could look up to: the first father I had since I first got there. He was family to me, just as much as he was to Klavier."

"I know how it feels," Iris said, bowing her head. Apollo didn't know if she was doing it to be respectful, or if she couldn't meet his eyes. "I barely knew my father as well. He died when I was teenager, and even before that, I didn't know much of him. When I was nine, he sent me to live at the temple I call my home. The nun there raised me, and was the closest thing I had to any parent."

"Really? Um… If it's okay, can I ask how your father died?"

"It is okay and as for my father, he was murdered," she said. "He was a jeweler. One of his clients thought he was cheating him, so to make an example, he shot my father several times in a crowded place. There were multiple witnesses. It was a very open-and-shut case. He was found guilty and executed."

"… Wow, I… I didn't know."

"It's fine," she said. "It's not like it affected me much. I only found out what happened when Feenie pulled the case file for me after my trial. There aren't many times where I find a reason to talk about it."

"Anyway, when I found out what Kristoph did, it was… I can't even put it into words. It was like that person who'd been there for me so many times was gone…" He let out a long sigh. It felt like one of the longest he'd ever done. "…and I want my old mentor back. I want to know he's still in there. I know he can be better. I _want_ him to be better. He wouldn't have helped me the way he did if he was some irredeemable monster. I want to know that the mentor I had is still inside him, and wasn't just some lie I got suckered into. That's why I want to defend him. It might be selfish of me, but it's what I want to do. Do you understand where I'm coming from, Sister Iris?"

She looked at the ground. "Don't worry. I… understand completely."

Just then, Apollo heard the door outside open. _Another client?_ He stood back up, apologized to Iris for cutting things short (an apology she accepted graciously), and opened up the door to his office. Thankfully, no one was right outside this time.

There was someone waiting in the lobby. It wasn't someone Apollo was expecting to see visiting their humble legal offices. Well, at least not until the party.

"Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth!" he said, trying his hardest to make his way over to the magenta-clad man, knocking over a half-empty bowl of popcorn (Trucy's) in the process.

 _We really need to clean up here._

"Mr. Justice," the prosecutor said, turning to Apollo. He didn't move, probably because he didn't want to trip on anything. Apollo noticed he was carrying a small briefcase. "Is Mr. Wright around?"

"I'm right here, Edgeworth," Phoenix said, opening his office door. "What do you want? I know you like to be early, but the party's not for three days."

The prosecutor smirked. "Well, Wright, I'm not here today as your friend. I am here on official business as the Chief Prosecutor. I heard your firm is taking on Kristoph Gavin's defense and I wanted to discuss the case with you."

"Well, you're looking for Apollo then," he said. "I'm not touching that case with a ten-foot pole. Talk to him."

He was just about to shut the door again when Mr. Edgeworth raised a hand to stop him. "I want to speak to the both of you. Mr. Justice may be the one taking on this case, Wright, but you're the head of the firm. I think it would be best if you were to be part of this conversation as well."

"Fine." He looked annoyed, probably because he was getting over his recommended daily dose of Kristoph Gavin's name. "We can talk in my office."

With the door being held open for the two of them, Apollo followed the Chief Prosecutor in. His boss made sure they wouldn't be disturbed and Edgeworth seemed to become much more serious.

"So," Phoenix began, "what is it? Why did you come here? And why is the Chief Prosecutor so interested in this little case?"

Edgeworth coughed before he began. "I wanted you to know that, due to who the victim was—"

"What about Von Karma? Because he was a prosecutor, or because he was basically your uncle?"

The prosecutor sighed, and looked away for a second. "The former, Wright. Prosecutor Wilhelm Von Karma had some cases he was in charge of that are still open. It presents a security risk to the Prosecutor's Office should any details of those trials come out. I came here…" He reached down, opened the briefcase, and pulled out a folder full of papers. "…to give you these. You'll need to sign them in order to formally represent Kristoph Gavin tomorrow."

He placed the papers down on Phoenix's desk, and Apollo moved up towards them to get a better look. The young attorney just skimmed over the documents. What they were saying wasn't too complicated. It just explained that details of ongoing trials may be brought up in court when the victim, Von Karma, was being discussed. It also asked them to sign to indicate that they understood that such a thing might happen, and if so, they were not to reveal any part of that information outside of the courtroom, and there would be serious consequences, large fines and possible suspension from the bar, if they were to go against this agreement. Apollo was used to dry legal jargon, but reading through these would still be a chore.

"When do you need these by?" Phoenix asked.

"Before I leave work. I'm very busy, so I probably won't be out of the office until ten tonight. Just fax them over to me before then, and everything should work out."

 _Fax? What year is this?_

"Got it. Is that everything?"

"I believe so. Forgive my intrusion if I interrupted anything. Though I must admit found it somewhat… curious when I heard your firm was planning to take on Gavin's defense. Is everything all right here?"

Apollo and his boss exchanged a glance, before they both turned back to the Chief Prosecutor.

"Of course it is," Phoenix said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I just thought it seemed odd. I know you well, Wright, well enough that I know it's unlike you to do something like this. You despise that man."

"Well, Apollo convinced me. He's the one dealing with this case, and while I'll might be there tomorrow as his co-council, I don't care if _he's_ defending Gavin."

"I see. From what my prosecutors have told me, Mr. Justice is no stranger to defending criminals. He did, after all, represent Winfred Kitaki's son."

 _I'm here, you know! And Wocky was innocent in that trial!_

Apollo watched as his boss' gaze turned away from Edgeworth, to the ground, as the prosecutor continued. "I should go. I have some more business to attend to; the death of a fellow prosecutor creates all sorts of problems. Wright, just know that, despite the greater responsibilities of my position, if there's anything wrong, I'll be happy to help, same as when I was just an ordinary prosecutor. You can trust me. I helped you before, remember?"

Phoenix kept staring at the floor. He just looked spent. Apollo couldn't blame him; the stress he was dealing with must be incredible. Apollo felt it, and he was the one who wanted to defend Gavin in the first place. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to be forced into doing something every part of you was against.

Edgeworth was just about to open the door when Phoenix spoke up.

"Actually, Miles, there is something."

The prosecutor turned. "What is it?"

"There are these people and —"

"Mr. Wright!" Apollo yelled out. "Please! Don't!"

His boss held up a hand. "It's okay, Apollo. He's right. We can trust him." He looked up, and met the prosecutor's eyes. "Miles, they're threatening Trucy."

 _No… Oh god no… I hope the boss knows what he's doing._

"They? Who are 'they'?"

"I don't know. We were at the park, when Apollo said he got a phone call, and the person on the other end told him that we needed to defend Gavin or they would have Trucy killed."

Apollo joined the conversation. His boss was already spilling the whole story to Edgeworth, so it was already too late to keep it from coming out. "When I was talking to them, laser sights suddenly appeared all over her. They told me there was nowhere she would be safe from them."

"Sounds frightening," Edgeworth said. "Did they say anything else about who they were?"

"No. All they told me was they wanted a certain outcome from the trial, their words. Nothing else besides that, but… the person I spoke to had a British accent."

"I see… Wait, do you still have the phone they called you with?"

Apollo nodded. "Yeah. I have it on me."

"May I see it?"

"Of course. It's right in my pocket." His hands moved down there seemingly of their own will, returning with the phone. He handed it to the Chief Prosecutor. "Here it is."

Edgeworth turned it on, and fiddled around with it for a little while. "That's strange, because your story doesn't fit the evidence."

The news sent his spikes flying backwards. "What?! W-What do you mean?"

"There's no record of any phonecall on this device. This phone has neither made nor received any calls. It's not information you can fake either."

"That's…" He looked at his boss, who was now staring at him strangely. "Please, Mr. Wright. I'm not lying to you. They called me, and they threatened Trucy. It's just…" He turned his eyes back to the phone. Now that he was seeing it up close, he realized something was off. "Wait. That's not the phone they called me on."

 _Yeah, it's definitely not the same phone. But how?_

"How do you know?" His boss asked the question.

"The color's different. The one from the park was dark glossy black; this one's also black, but its duller, not as shiny."

Phoenix looked surprised. "I couldn't tell the difference. Though now that you mention it…" he said, twisting his head to take a better look.

"Well, Boss, you already know I have good eyesight."

"But Apollo, if that's not the phone they called you on, then where is it?"

 _That's what I'm wondering._ "They must have been switched. Somehow… Without me noticing. That's the only explanation I can think of."

"But who…"

His boss trailed off, realizing he already had the answer. In order to switch the phones, the culprit must have been able to get close to them without either of the attorneys noticing, then made _his_ move while their backs were turned. There was one individual who immediately made his way to Apollo's mind.

 _Beige._

"Either way, it doesn't matter if the phones were switched," Edgeworth said, speaking up once again and causing Apollo's train of thought to grind to a halt. "Your caller made a huge mistake."

Apollo looked at the phone. "What kind of mistake?"

"Phones like these have serial numbers. You can find them printed on the outside, but that's not the only place they can be found. There's enough of them and they're hidden well enough that you can't exactly get rid of them all without breaking the phone. In order to crack down on criminals using these pre-loaded burner phones, the city tracks their sale using those numbers. It's allowed us to solve some major cases over the years. Since we have this phone's serial number, we can find out where it was sold, which could lead us to your caller."

"Really?" Apollo's jaw dropped open. "I… That's amazing."

"I'll just need to make a call to get that information." Edgeworth reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone. He dialed a number, then began speaking a few seconds later. "Detective Gumshoe… yes, I want you to do something for me. I want to find out where a cell phone was sold… Yes, it's one of the disposable types. The serial number is…" Edgeworth began reading off the number to the detective. "Good… Yes. Thank you, detective."

The prosecutor looked at them. "The detective tells me that the phone was sold at a convenience store a few blocks away from the entrance to the prison. Also, whenever the phone is turned on, it interacts with local cell towers, giving us a record of its location." He sighed. "I could have the detective try to get the data, but that would mean I'd have to let him in on this secret. I'd only do it if it were okay with you, Wright."

"That's okay," Phoenix said. "I know I can trust him too."

"I'll tell him myself, then. I also would like you to come to my office so I may discuss this more with you, Wright. It's a very serious matter, and I don't want Trucy to get hurt. We can work on finding out who this person is."

He bit his lip. "I don't know. They told us not to go to the authorities. I don't want to leave Trucy alone, especially now that someone like you knows, Miles."

Apollo decided it was finally time to rejoin the conversation. "Boss, if you're worried about Trucy, I could take her with me to the prison. She wants to be my assistant when I go back to investigate. I'll keep an eye on her, and make sure that nothing bad happens."

"Apollo, I…" His boss started rubbing his chin. "… Actually, that's a good idea. The prison is probably safer than here. Everybody who goes in has to get past the metal detectors. Take her with you, and please, Apollo, keep her safe."

 _Don't worry, Boss, I will._

Edgeworth spoke up. "If you're looking for a ride to the prison, Mr. Justice, I can offer you one. I'm planning on stopping there before heading back to my office. The warden will be testifying tomorrow, and I need him to sign the same papers I handed to you. It will be no trouble for me, but I want to leave soon."

 _That makes things easy. Saves us from paying for the cab ride back._

Apollo accepted the offer. He just asked Mr. Edgeworth for a few minutes so he could read over and sign the papers he brought. He didn't know how long it would be before he came back to the office. As well, he had one small request for the prosecutor. One little change he wanted to make to his plans.

"Yes, I can do that," Edgeworth said. "I can drop you off right outside the store that phone came from."

Now, he was ready to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm BAAAACK (to rise. I'm back to glow. I'm back to fly. I'm back to soar. I'm back to war. Let the truth be told. I feel on fire when my passion flow).**

 **Anyway, sorry for the delay on this one. I wanted to finish Spirit of Justice before I started posting again… which I didn't actually manage to do. But anyway, this chapter also took me a couple tries to get right, so I hope you like it.**

 **Also, in my absence, I managed to get more of this story written, so expect Chapter 9 sooner rather than later.**

 **If you like the story or have any comments, please leave a review. I always appreciate feedback.**

 **And congratulations to anyone who got the reference at the start of the note.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **EZ Convenience Store**

 **July 17**

 **4:46 PM**

A bell chimed as Apollo opened the door to the convenience store. He took a few cautious steps inside before Trucy followed him in. Other than the hum of a running fan, there was only silence.

He looked around, taking the run-down setting in. _This is the place the phone came from. The voice bought it here._ The thought sent shivers down his spine.

Then it occurred to him.

He wasn't supposed to be here.

The voice told him that going to the police would lead to Trucy's death. And despite that, he'd done it. Well, _technically_ , he didn't tell the police about the threatening phone call, he'd only told the Chief Prosecutor, but it was close enough that he doubted the mysterious voice would consider there to be a difference.

Thankfully, there was no one else in the store besides them and the (likely) owner, an older man at the register who looked about forty. He had a full head of greying black hair accompanied by a large moustache. The emptiness meant there was less chance someone would find them investigating the phone. It made keeping this side investigation hidden a little easier.

"Hey Polly," Trucy said. "I thought we were going to the prison. What are we doing here?"

He turned around to face her, hesitating. He wasn't going to tell her about the cell phone. He couldn't. Because of that, he'd spent the car ride with Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth thinking up an excuse. He just hoped Trucy would believe it.

"I thought I'd finally do my part and get some stuff for the party. I felt bad that I didn't help out earlier, so this is me trying to make up for it. Grab something you think the guests will like and I'll pay."

"Okay!" she said, smiling before she started combing the aisles, searching for the perfect snack.

Leaving Trucy behind with the potato chips, he made his way up to the counter.

"Uh… Hello," he said, slowly approaching the man at the counter.

"What is it?" He spoke in a thick foreign accent. Cohdopian, maybe?

"I… uh…" He pulled the phone out from his pocket and placed it beside the register for the owner to see. "You see… I'm looking for the person who bought this phone. I found it lying on the ground pretty close to here. I think whoever it belongs to lost it, so I'm trying to get it back to them. And well… I saw you sell phones like it, so I thought maybe its owner got it here."

"Lots of shops sell phones," he said. "No guarantee it is bought here."

Apollo laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I know. But again, I found it _right_ outside here. Do you think you could maybe check to see if your shop sold it?"

The man raised a thick eyebrow, then sighed. He took the phone, got up off his stool, and walked into the back of the store, leaving the door behind him open just a smidgen. Apollo peeked inside and saw him at a computer, phone in hand, typing in something.

He began to sweat. What if he was involved with whoever was threatening Trucy? What if he was communicating with the mysterious voice, saying they had shown up in his shop? What if they realized he'd gone to the police and gotten the location the phone was sold? What if Trucy ended up dead because of it?

As he waited for the shopkeeper to finish in the back, he started to breath heavily. Maybe this was a bad idea? Maybe they shouldn't have gone? Honestly, how hard was it to follow instructions and never hear from these people again?

He watched as the man got up from the chair and came back to the front of the store.

The shopkeeper handed the phone back. "You were right. Phone from here."

Apollo nearly let out a sigh of relief. "T-Thank you. Do you remember anything about the person who bought the phone?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Again, I'm just… trying to be a good Samaritan." He felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek, which, judging by the fact he stopped to stare at Apollo's face, the shopkeeper noticed.

It was summer. It was hot. He hoped that was all the shopkeeper was thinking.

The older man shook his head. "No. They pay with cash. No card, so no information. Lot of people buy phones from shop. Don't remember everyone."

"Uh…" Apollo looked around, noticing a security camera. "You have a camera here, don't you? And I'm guessing your records say when the phone was bought. So… maybe you check the footage to see what they looked like?"

"No. Camera footage is wiped every week. Phone bought last week. Even if phone bought this week, would not show footage unless you are police." The owner cast a suspicious gaze on him.

"Are you police?"

"I, uh… No. I'm not with the police." He looked around the shop desperately to avoid the owner's eyes. "A-A-Anyway, it's okay. Thanks for all your help." He gave him a nervous smile.

"Will you buy?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Uh… will I buy anything?" he replied, not fully understanding the question. Was he asking if he was going to buy the phone or just buy _something_?

The shopkeeper nodded. "Y-Yes. I'm planning on buying something. I'm just… thank you for your help."

He left the owner to go fetch Trucy. He wanted to get out of this place as fast as possible. By the time he'd found her, she had picked out some pretzels. He paid for them with cash, then left the store without saying another word.

The air seemed fresher when he had finally stepped outside. He took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. The shopkeeper may not have been working with the mysterious voice (his bracelet hadn't gone off when the man said he didn't know who bought the phone), but that didn't stop the entire atmosphere of the place from feeling wrong, somehow. Now that he was outside, his general sense of uneasiness was fading. He followed his deep breath with another sigh of relief.

"Polly, what's wrong?" Trucy asked. "You're acting weird. You look like you're nervous. Is something bothering you?"

"Just this case," he said. It wasn't a lie, was it?

"I understand," she said, turning her gaze to the ground.

"Anyway, it's about time we head to the prison. I don't have a lot of evidence, and I really doubt I'll be able to get through the trial tomorrow with what I have now."

She turned back up to him, smile on her face, like that whole business between the two of them about Gavin never happened. Her voice fizzed with enthusiasm. "Then let's find some evidence, then!"

It made him happy.

He started walking down the sidewalk in the direction of the prison, Trucy following along beside him. Even though the shopkeeper had given him nothing on the appearance of the person who bought the phone, Apollo still managed to glean a little information on its owner. Knowing the careful planning the mysterious voice had placed into their 'demonstration' earlier, the fact the phone was bought from a place that wiped their camera footage every week wasn't a coincidence. That meant, whoever the voice was, they were probably a Los Angeles native who frequented the area, knowledgeable enough to know what shops don't keep many camera records. It didn't narrow things down much, but it was a start.

Apollo had just finished that thought when he noticed a red dot dancing along the sidewalk. He froze and he felt his entire body clench up.

 _No. NONONONONO!_

 _How did they find out?_

Even though the shopkeeper wasn't in on it, they must have had someone watching the store. And since he was there, they probably realized he had gone to the police.

And now…

Before he even knew what was happening, he was in front of Trucy, standing between her and the laser sight. It was his mistake. If anyone was going to pay for it with their life, it should be him. It was his idea. He asked Mr. Edgeworth to take them there.

Tears were welling up in his eyes, and his throat was all clenched up. He may not have looked it, but he was ready.

For a second or two, he watched the laser sight. However, instead of moving towards him, it instead spun around in small circles. And now that he looked at it closer, it seemed to be coming from nearby. Very near.

He let his sight drift away from the red dot for a second to where he figured the light was coming from: the alleyway beside the convenience store. There, he found a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk, back propped up against the building, pointing something in his hand towards them. It looked like a laser pointer. One of the ones Apollo saw the professor use all the time in his university lectures.

A laser pointer! Seriously?!

"Hey," Apollo yelled out into the alley. "Can you stop that? Those things can burn someone's retinas, you know."

The man turned to look at them and scowled at Apollo. But, he still put the pointer away. Letting out one more sigh of relief, Apollo finally let his body relax.

"Polly," he heard Trucy say. "What was that about? You looked scared."

"Oh, it's nothing, Trucy." _Can't tell her. Can't tell her._

"But Polly," she said, moving around him so she could look him in the eyes, "you're crying."

"O-Oh! I…" _I have to think of something. Quick!_ "You see Trucy… I had a really traumatic experience involving laser pointers as a child." Apollo felt his spikes drooping over his face as he forced those words out. _Really?_ That _was the best I could come up with?_

"R-Really, Polly?" Trucy said, so shocked she placed a hand over her mouth. "I had no idea. Maybe you should talk to Athena about it."

 _She… believed me! Didn't see that one coming._

"I'm okay," he replied. "I'll work… it out on my own someday. You don't need to worry about me."

"If you say so," she said, before turning back around and continuing on her way towards the prison.

Apollo composed himself and followed her, before shooting one last glance back into the alleyway. The homeless man was gone.

Something felt off. What was a homeless man doing with a laser pointer?

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Here's Chapter 9. I hope you all enjoy it. It was a fun one to write. If this were an actual case, I would imagine there would be a save point in between the last chapter and this one. What's just begun is Part 2 of the first day of investigation.**

 **I hope your excited to see what comes next.**

 **If you like the story or have anything to say about it, please leave a review. I always appreciate comments.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Prison**

 **Cell Block Junction**

 **5:18 PM**

"What the _hell_ does Mansley think he's doing?" Apollo heard Warden Dent say as he and Trucy entered the cell block junction.

"I don't know, Warren," Freud replied, voice clipped with frustration. "You'll have to ask him yourself."

"You're the psychologist, Freud, you should know," he snapped back.

From what Warden Dent was saying, Apollo expected him to sound angry, but he only sounded slightly more serious than he usually did. This was Warden Dent after all.

He paused, long enough that it seemed to mark the end of that argument. "Anyway, Virginia, are you planning on attending Gavin's trial tomorrow?" he said, changing the subject.

Apollo looked at Trucy, who had gone quiet. She knew she had to make as little noise as possible in situations like these. This wasn't her first investigation, after all.

As for Apollo, he wasn't the biggest fan of eavesdropping, but he felt like he should be listening in on this conversation. Dent was the prison warden, and would be showing up at trial tomorrow. It may have been a bit underhanded, but Apollo needed all the information he could get if he was going to prove Kristoph innocent.

"I am."

"You don't need to. I'm the one who was called as a witness. Perhaps it would be better if you stayed here."

"I'm attending, Warren," she said, folding her arms in front of her chest and placing extra emphasis on his name. "I want to know what happens. And besides, it's only right for me to be there. We were just working with him. It's best for the both of us that we know exactly how he died."

 _So both Warden Dent and Dr. Freud worked with Von Karma recently. But on what?_

"If you say so, Virginia. I trust your judgement in these affairs."

"By the way, Simon wants to meet with you. He told me he has some things he wants to discuss."

"I'll speak with him."

Apollo decided now would be a good time to make themselves known. He didn't want to risk getting caught spying by either Freud or Dent. The warden was tight-lipped as it was; Apollo didn't want to make him even less likely to share information.

"Warden Dent. Dr. Freud," he said with a wave as he stepped into their line of sight. Trucy scurried along behind him.

"Mr. Justice," Warden Dent said. "May I ask what you're doing here?"

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "I'm investigating and gathering evidence for tomorrow's trial. Why are you asking?"

"I assumed you had finished with that when you and Mr. Wright stormed out earlier."

"Uhh… no. He and I were dealing with some…" He glanced at Trucy, who seemed to sulk away a little bit. "… family and business issues. We had to meet with the Chief Prosecutor too."

He gave Apollo an inquisitive glare. "Really?"

"… Yes." _Why does every conversation I have with this guy feel like an interrogation? If anyone is interrogating people here, it should be me._

"Well, I suppose that's as good an explanation as any. I recall Mr. Wright being with the Chief Prosecutor when he stopped by a little while ago. I suppose I can let you continue investigating then. Detective Skye still hasn't left the crime scene, so if you wish to speak with her, you will find her there."

"Got it."

"There is one thing I have to mention, though. Unlike when you first arrived, the prisoners now have free time, where they are allowed to wander outside of their cells. They are still confined to their cell blocks, and I doubt any of them will try to hurt you, but I thought it was something you should know, so you aren't frightened when you see them moving around unaccompanied."

Apollo forced down a swallow. "G-Got it."

The thought of having to investigate while the prisoners were moving around freely, being able to get close to him, sent a shiver down his spine. He knew he probably had nothing to be afraid of, but it still scared him. He'd taken less cases than his boss, so he had less to worry about than Phoenix did, but there were still quite a few people stuck in this prison because of him. Maybe he would run into someone with a grudge they were looking to settle?

He swiveled his head to look at Trucy. "And who might you be?"

"Oh!" Trucy said, startled. "I-I… Trucy Wright. I'm Mr. Wright's daughter."

"And tell me, Ms. Wright, are you aware of the rules that govern this prison? It is unfortunately not uncommon for a guest to carry in something forbidden."

"Warden Dent," Apollo said, grabbing the warden's attention. "Just so you know, we ended up getting everything we brought checked by the guards. I had my bracelet approved and Trucy isn't carrying anything that's against the rules."

Warden Dent's expression didn't change.

 _Did it work?_

Trucy, on the other hand, got a little grumpier. The guards had forced her to disassemble Mr. Hat and leave it with them, since the puppet could be used to assist with a breakout. They had also forced her to give up her magic panties, which she wouldn't part with until Apollo convinced her that the prison guards weren't going to steal the secrets of her magic.

"That's good, Mr. Justice. It's nice to see people starting to take things seriously around here. This prison is my pride and joy. I pledged my life to making sure that it is run as efficiently and effectively as possible."

"It's actually pretty nice," Apollo said. "Of course, I wouldn't want to live here, but it's not like what I expected at all." Apollo then remembered that he had something he wanted to ask Warden Dent about. "Uh, Warden Dent, do you think you could answer some questions about the prison? I thought that since you're running it, you'd know a lot about it and what goes on inside."

"You may ask, but whether I answer depends on the question."

He looked through the Court Record he'd managed to compile since he started investigating, and found the piece of evidence he was looking for. He was about to show it to the warden when he stopped himself.

 _I don't think I should let Warden Dent know about the evidence I found. Don't want to overplay my hand before I go to court tomorrow. But if it's what I think it is, I can still ask him about it without revealing too many details._

"When I was walking around the cell block, I found a really strange piece of paper on the ground. It was from somebody calling themselves 'S' and it looked like it was written with a typewriter."

Apollo had no idea if the warden even heard what he said, considering his expression didn't change at all.

Finally, he spoke up. "'S' is the Supplier."

 _The Supplier? I should really ask for more details about this._

"Who is the Supplier?"

"He is a prisoner that other prisoners go to in order to get ahold of items from outside this correctional facility. They pay him money, enough to cover the cost of the item and the difficulty in getting it to the prison, and in turn, he gets them the item they paid for. He organizes everything: shipping, retrieval, and distribution. The piece of paper you found was likely one of his receipts."

"So he's smuggling things into prison right under your nose?"

"Smuggling?" He almost sounded offended. "Not at all. He and I have a partnership. However, it's not something I like to talk about."

"What?! Aren't you supposed to make sure that prisoners _don't_ get their hands on stuff from outside?"

"Within reason, Mr. Justice. Most of what the Supplier brings into the prison are common, everyday items. I don't see any reason to deny a prisoner a small comfort like a book. They may be prisoners, but they're still people."

Honestly, that didn't seem too bad. "I get the idea, but still. Wouldn't that cause a lot of problems for you?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Justice. You see, my predecessor had a very large smuggling problem. The prisoners had created sophisticated ways of bringing in items from the outside world. It became so bad that she ended up being blackmailed into helping them. And it wasn't just common outside items they were bringing in either. The occasional weapon ended up being smuggled in, which would result in the death of another prisoner or a guard."

"That sounds bad."

"It was," Warden Dent said with a nod. "When I took this position, one of the first items on my agenda was to clean up the mess. And the way I did so was through a partnership with the prisoners. The way I see it, they would find a way to get those items into the prison no matter what I did. A desperate enough man can find a solution to any problem. By giving them a legitimate way to bring in items from the outside world, I can control what comes into my prison. My current agreement with the Supplier allows me to approve all prisoner requests, and my guards to watch over the unpacking of every one of the Supplier's shipments. My guards also inspect each item as it comes into the prison."

"And that makes things better?"

"Yes. Ever since my partnership with the Supplier started, the amount of dangerous objects that have been smuggled into the prison has been reduced by 96%. It makes the prisoners happy, and therefore less likely to riot. I am proud to say that no guard or prisoner here has been dealt a serious injury for over five years."

"Until today, you mean?"

The warden's face darkened. "Yes. But what I'm trying to say, Mr. Justice, is that I care about the men and women who work under me. And there is an added benefit: all profits made from the prisoners' purchases go to fund new prison renovations."

"Wow! They let you do that?"

"The government takes an extra hard look at our finances to make sure no embezzlement is going on, but they allow it." The warden sighed. "Understand, Mr. Justice, that I've had to explain my rationale to the mayor and representatives of other government agencies several times. All the times I did so, I presented these statistics, made these same arguments to convince them this choice was for the best, and was found to be operating within procedure."

"Then why don't you like talking about it? I mean, if there's nothing wrong—"

"Because the public love their tough-on-crime agendas, even when it doesn't at all fix things and gets people hurt. The last thing I need is some reporter breaking this story and people getting the wrong idea. Believe me, I have worked hard to be upfront about this when pressed and make this agreement seem as boring as possible so that it stays out of the newspapers. So far, it's worked."

"I see. Can you tell me who the Supplier is then? I would like to meet with him and see if Kristoph made any orders."

Warden Dent looked at him with a solemnly stoic face. "I'm sorry Mr. Justice, I'm afraid I can't do that. My agreement with the Supplier keeps me from revealing his identity without his permission. Unless you have a subpoena, you won't be able to get it out of me."

He slowly turned his head toward Dr. Freud, and gave her a look that said, "they won't get it out of you either." It caused her to jump back a bit. Apollo could understand; Warden Dent's eyes always felt like they were staring into your soul.

"So, there's no way I can find him?" Apollo asked.

"No. You'll never find him, but if he wants to talk, he'll find you. He has enough respect among the prisoners that none of them will say anything either."

 _That's disappointing. The Supplier could have been a lead._

"Do you think you can—"

He was cut off when he heard what sort of sounded like a popping noise beside him. He turned to see Trucy, holding the bag of pretzels he'd just bought in her hands, opened.

"Trucy!" he said. "What are doing with that? Those are for the party, remember."

"Athena just texted me and told me we already have pretzels for the party. She said since we didn't need them anymore, we can just have them now."

Apollo groaned. _Then why did I buy them?!_

He looked back at Warden Dent, who he saw was now eyeing the pretzels the same way a lion would eye the gazelle it was about to prey upon.

 _Oh god, she's probably breaking one of his rules._

What transpired next was something Apollo would never forget.

Trucy noticed Warden Dent's hungry gaze, and held the open end of the bag toward him. "You can have some too, Mr. Warden, if you want. They're—"

"Yes, please."

Apollo never saw someone move so fast before in his life. Warden Dent plunged both arms into the pretzel bag, and pulled out two large handfuls, before shoving both of them into his mouth, one after the other.

"Thank you," he said, his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel but his eyes and voice as serious as ever.

Apollo glanced over to Trucy. It was clear from the look on her face that she was shocked too.

Warden Dent chewed a couple times, before swallowing the food down, causing his complexion to shift from 'man who spent three weeks in the desert without food' to 'man who spent five days in the desert without food'. It was a remarkable transformation.

"I'm afraid I have other business to attend to. Enjoy your investigation," he said, before adjusting his tie and walking away.

Apollo blinked a few times in disbelief before returning to the real world.

"Polly," he heard Trucy say beside him after Warden Dent had left their sight, "what was wrong with that man's face?"

"He works himself way too hard. It isn't healthy," Dr. Freud said sadly, before letting out a sigh. "He spends so much time on his work that he sometimes forgets to eat. And by sometimes, I mean most of the time. On a normal day, I have to remind him to get a snack at one of the prison's vending machines. I don't understand how someone can live like that."

"That's really sad!" Trucy said. "How hard do you have to work to forget to eat?"

"Oh, believe me, that isn't the worst of it. When the renovations were in full swing, there were nights where he would work without a minute of sleep. Even now, he barely goes outside; he even has a cot set up in his office so he doesn't have to leave to get some sleep. This prison is his pride and joy; he wasn't kidding earlier. He cares about it more than anything. I think he's spent more time caring for this facility than some people do for their children."

Apollo winced at the comment. _That hurts._

"Is something wrong, Mr. Justice?" the psychologist asked, picking up on his negative reaction.

"No, it's nothing, Dr. Freud," he said. "Anyway, how was your session with Kristoph earlier?"

She eyed him suspiciously for a second or two, but didn't press the point further, and went along with his little deflection.

"Even though you are his attorney, there is some information that has to remain between me and Gavin. I can't comment on what we discussed in our session. If you want to know, he'll have to be the one to tell you."

"Is there anything you _can_ say? Or anything you could give us?" Apollo asked. Again, he needed whatever he could get.

"I don't think so," she said, before adding, "As much as I hate to say this, the prosecution has Kristoph's psychological records. There are some things that a prosecutor shouldn't be able to do so easily, but that doesn't really matter anymore. They've basically ground doctor-patient confidentiality agreements into nothing, so all they have to do is ask and I need to give them this stuff. It's no wonder people have a hard time trusting prosecutors nowadays: they can just learn your deepest, darkest secrets and use them against you. It doesn't even matter if there's a connection to the case, much less a connection they can prove."

"… Okay," Apollo replied. He had been expecting information, not a rant. "Umm… Could we get those records too?"

She shook her head. "You would need to get Kristoph's permission."

"What?! We need permission to get what the prosecution gets for free?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"… What does Prosecutor Von Karma even want with Kristoph's records?"

"She thinks she can make her case easier by trying to prove Kristoph is a psychopath. I can't tell you about what's in those files, but I can tell you that." Her lips moved into a small frown. "I can also tell that it's my professional opinion that they're not going to help her one bit."

"Kristoph's file says he isn't a psychopath?" Trucy asked.

"You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment," Freud told Trucy.

Trucy was getting a bit angry. "You're saying he killed all those people with no remorse, and he still isn't a psychopath?"

"I've said nothing, so I don't see where you're getting these ideas from." Her voice was terse.

"You seem to know Kristoph pretty well, Dr. Freud," Apollo said. "Do you think he committed the murder?"

"I can't tell you. I'm… not authorized to reveal that information."

 _What?_

 _You're seriously not allowed to give me your opinion? And what is up with all this authorization stuff?_

"Uh… okay. I was just wondering. It seems kind of weird to me that he's been charged and all. I mean, he's incarcerated. I don't see how he could have committed a murder in a place like this, with all these guards, and rules, and cameras…" He trailed off, noticing that Freud was beginning to eye him strangely.

He wondered if he was getting close to another topic she wasn't allowed to talk about.

Still, he pressed forward. "Did anything happen that would have given Kristoph a chance to commit the murder?"

Freud turned her head and looked away from him. "I… That certainly is a question, Mr. Justice. Maybe try… looking elsewhere… for that…" She stopped, and his vision went dark. Massive chains extended over her.

 _CLANK!_

A red Psyche-Lock, the colour almost matching Freud's jacket.

 _CLANK!_

 _CLANK!_

 _CLANK!_

 _CLANK!_

Four more Psyche-Locks.

 _Five Psyche-Locks?! I only just got through_ one _of them. How am I supposed to deal with five?_

He knew just by looking that there was no chance he'd be able to get through those Psyche-Locks.

 _I can't do this. This battle calls for a strategic retreat._

He couldn't think of a single piece of evidence that could get him to the truth locked away in her heart.

"I understand, Dr. Freud. I'll try asking Warden Dent about it if I see him again."

 _That's a lie. I already asked him about the evidence against Kristoph, and he didn't tell me anything then. I don't think I'll find out what I want to know from him._

The locks faded away, as did the black void, as Dr. Freud faced him once again.

"That might be a better idea, Mr. Justice," she said, before letting out a nervous laugh. "I may be the Chief Psychologist, but I don't know everything about this prison."

 _That may be true, but you_ do _know the answer to the question I asked._

"Umm, Dr. Freud, do you want any pretzels?" Trucy offered the bag to her.

"No," Freud said with a shake of her head. "I'm fine."

"Well," Apollo said, "it's about time we get back to investigating, Dr. Freud. See you later."

"O-Of course," she stammered out, before biting her lip. "Uh… good luck."

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No… it's just…" she said meekly. She glanced away for a second, before returning her eyes to Apollo, and sighing. Her professional demeanor disappeared. "I'm looking for something I lost in the prison. I have no idea where it went. I was wondering if you could maybe… look for it when you're investigating. It's kind of important to me."

"What is it?"

"It's a book. '20000 Leagues Under The Sea' by Jules Verne. There's an inscription to me on the first page, so that's how you'd know it's the one I'm looking for. Please, just keep an eye out for it. Please. It's very important to me."

"Ugh… Of course I can do that."

"If you find it, just bring it back to me. I hope I didn't lose it for good. That would be bad. That would be really bad…"

Apollo and Trucy left her there muttering about how bad it would be if she lost the book. He didn't see any problem with looking for Freud's book if they didn't have to go out of the way to find it.

"So where are we heading, Polly?" Trucy asked.

"Kristoph's cell," he said. "There's some stuff we need to ask him about."

"Oh… O-Okay."

It was plain to see that Trucy was reluctant to face the man who had brought them so much pain. Especially so quickly after agreeing to defend him. Perhaps she needed more time to work up the courage to do it.

But time was something he didn't have.

"If you want, you could stay outside the prison while I go meet him."

"I'm fine, Polly," she said. "I'm coming."

She may have been scared, but confronting Kristoph was something she would need to do eventually. Apollo could see why she would want to face those demons now.

He nodded. "Okay, then. Let's go."

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry about the delay. I've had this chapter done for a while, but didn't post until now. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **I also created a Court Record detailing all the important people and evidence, which you can find below. It will be updated as the case goes along. Chapter 11 should be arriving soon. It's almost finished. And thank you to everyone who's reading this, and to everyone who left a review. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback.**

* * *

 **Court Record**

Profiles:

Apollo Justice

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Description: Me. I'm a defense attorney working for the Wright Anything Agency.

Phoenix Wright

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: My boss. The head of the Wright Anything Agency. He's a pretty famous defense attorney who's well regarded in the legal system.

Trucy Wright

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Description: The boss' daughter and a young, talented magician. Her life is being threatened by the mysterious voice.

Athena Cykes:

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Description: A rookie attorney who joined our offices a little over a year ago. She can hear the emotions in people's voices.

Kristoph Gavin

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Description: The accused. He's also my former boss and mentor. A disgraced attorney found guilty of murder.

Klavier Gavin:

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Description: Kristoph's brother. A prosecutor for the district court. Also, a rockstar. Me and him are friends.

Warren Dent

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Description: The warden of the prison where Kristoph is imprisoned, and where the murder took place. Best not break any of his rules.

Virginia Freud

Age: 34

Gender: Female

Description: The prison's Chief Psychologist. Takes her job seriously… for the most part. She can act a bit unprofessional at times. Seems nice though.

The Mysterious Voice

Age: ?

Gender: ?

Description: A voice on a phone. I have no clue who they are, but they want Kristoph defended, and they're threatening Trucy's life to get me to do it.

Wilhelm Von Karma

Age: Deceased

Gender: Male

Description: The victim. A world-renowned prosecutor and opera singer.

Ema Skye

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Description: The lead detective on this case. She's been the detective in charge of cases in my past.

Franziska Von Karma

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Description: The prosecutor for this case. She's the victim's niece, and has some history with my boss. She also likes to whip people.

Mr. Beige

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A mysterious man wearing a beige suit and dark sunglasses. He has a high-tech cell phone jammer at his disposal. Who is this guy?

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: The Chief Prosecutor of the Los Angeles District Court. Also, a good friend of Mr. Wright's.

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge

Description: My badge. It proves I'm a full-fledged defense attorney.

Mysterious Phone

Description: The phone the mystery voice used to call me. It was switched out, and now I have another one.

Opera Flyer

Description: A flyer for a night of opera on July 15th with Wilhelm Von Karma.

Magatama

Description: A strange talisman that belongs to the boss. It shows the secrets people are hiding as locks.

Nail Polish Bottle

Description: Found on the body. It's the brand Kristoph uses.

Box Cutter

Description: The murder weapon. Kristoph's fingerprints were found on it.

Packing Peanut

Description: Found at the crime scene. The type that would be used to protect fragile packages.

Bloody Handprint

Description: Found at the crime scene. It's slightly smeared. I have no idea who it belongs to.

Letter

Description: A letter we found in Kristoph's cell from Klavier. Mentions a concert of some sort on July 15th.

Receipt

Description: A receipt for a bottle of nail polish Kristoph ordered from the Supplier.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Prison**

 **Hallway to Cell Block A - Crime Scene**

 **5:41 PM**

The first thing Apollo noticed at the crime scene the second time around (he didn't count when he had to rush out to get back to the office) was that the body had been removed. The white chalk outline was the only indication Von Karma had ever been there. He was thankful for that.

Ema was still wandering around the crime scene, just as Warden Dent had said she would be. She was down on the ground, measuring something with a small ruler. Surrounding her were bunch of men in white plastic suits. She stood when she noticed the two of them.

"Hey, Apollo! Trucy!" she exclaimed, waving to them from inside the crime scene. She slipped the ruler into her labcoat pocket, and hurried over to them.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Ema," Trucy said.

She flicked her glasses down. "Why wouldn't I be? The CSIs are letting me help investigate."

"Really? That sounds cool! Daddy told me that you really loved all that criminally science stuff when you were my age." She held her chin as she pondered something over. "Wasn't it called for-rest-sicks or something? I forget the name, it's been a while."

"Forensics. Forensic science! It's the best kind of science there is." It seemed like nothing could bring the detective down.

"So, what are you doing? Can we help?"

Ema put her glasses back to rest on top of her forehead, then shook her head. "Sorry, no can do," she said. "I'd love the extra help, and I really appreciate you guys helping me with that stuff way back when, but Warden Dent's already breathing down my neck. If I do anything else, he'll probably kick me off this crime scene, and get me demoted to Patrol Officer."

Trucy was shocked. "He can do that?!"

"I don't know. Warden Dent isn't my boss, but he's good friends with the police chief, and if he raises enough of a stink, I can see myself having to walk a beat for a couple weeks. I don't even have any experience being a patrol officer, but Warden Dent told me that unless I start behaving like a detective, I'm not going to be one for much longer."

Trucy balled her hands into fists. "That sounds really mean!"

"I know, right?" She huffed. "I think he just likes pushing his weight around. It's not like I did anything wrong."

 _You nearly contaminated a crime scene because you couldn't resist snacking. That's_ one _thing, Detective Skye._

"Hey Ema, do you want any pretzels?" Trucy asked, bringing out the bag. "You can have some if you want. You always seem to be happier when you're snacking."

"Trucy, I d—"

"No thanks," Ema said. "I can't snack anymore, at least, not when Warden Dent's around. He yelled at me earlier about that. You should probably put those away. Just in case he comes back."

Trucy lifted up her magician's hat, put the pretzel bag inside, and placed it back on her head. "There! Now he won't see it."

Apollo thought about saying something, but didn't. He didn't have the heart to tell her that Warden Dent used that exact same method to stash things away.

"Anyway, Detective Skye," Apollo said, "what are you doing? Did you manage to find any new evidence since last time?"

Ema frowned. "I can't say. Prosecutor Von Karma told me not to tell you anything. I think she's still mad at me for letting you investigate. I mean, I had orders to let you guys in. It's not my fault, but she's still grumpy. I never thought I'd be saying this, but… I miss that fop."

"Well, what are you doing now? Dusting for more fingerprints? Luminol? DNA tests?"

"No. I'm helping the CSIs do some blood spatter analysis."

"Blood spatter analysis? What's that?" Apollo was pretty sure Ema had never asked him to help with that before.

The biggest grin appeared on Ema's face. "Want an explanation? I'd be happy to tell you all about it."

Ema loved science. Apollo knew that from all the times he'd had to interact with her on his various cases. The stories his boss had told him about the time she first appeared in his office looking for a defense attorney only made him realize just how deep and long-lasting that love was. He decided to humour her. He was always in the mood for learning new things.

"The blood spatter you can find around a crime scene can give you a lot of information. The direction someone was struck from, how they were attacked, the type of weapon, where the victim and perpetrator were; you can find out all those things from just the blood spatter if you're lucky. It can sometimes get pretty crazy. Because of the high pressure found in the arteries, if you cut one, especially a major one, you can get blood spraying everywhere. I've had some crime scenes that looked like the set of a horror movie. Heck, one of my crime scenes a while back actually _was_ the set of a horror movie. Analyzing the blood spatter helped tell us which blood stains were real and which were fake even before we brought out the luminol to confirm."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!"

"Such is the wonderous power of science. It's not always so dramatic, though. Veins have lower pressure, so if one of those is cut, the blood more _pours_ out than sprays. Still pretty deadly, but you don't get the same effect."

 _Wait, is Ema saying she_ likes _crime scenes with blood sprayed everywhere? I'd say I never took her for that kind of girl, but… no, that's not true at all. That seems just like Ema's thing._

"So, any luck?"

"No, not really," she said, pouting. "Most of the blood spatter near Von Karma's body was covered up by those big pools of blood on the ground."

Apollo glanced over to the crime scene. Von Karma's body may have been gone, but the blood was still there, large puddles covering the floor. He didn't know the human body had that much blood in it.

"Since those pools erased all the smaller droplets of blood, all the information they held about how Von Karma was attacked is basically lost. We can probably still get a good picture using other techniques, but there are some knowledge you can't replace. Once it goes up in smoke..." She made a _whoosing_ gesture with her hands. "…it's gone forever."

"That's kind of sad," Trucy said. "Was that blood stain you were looking at when we got here?"

"Yep. Just a blood droplet that survived the great red tide that came out of Von Karma's neck. Want me to show you up close?" It seemed that Ema's love of science was so great that it could even make her forget about any potential reprimands from whip-loving prosecutors.

Apollo accepted the offer. There was no way he was going to let this opportunity go to waste.

He and Trucy ducked under the crime scene tape as Ema led them over to the spot she had been before. There, they found a single drop of the blood on the ground.

"Check a look. You see how the blood drop is a perfect circle? That means that it hit the ground at a ninety-degree angle. Most likely, it came off the weapon when it was held at rest. I was just measuring the diameter when you two showed up."

"And what does the diameter tell you?" Apollo asked.

"The larger the diameter, the higher the droplet, well, dropped. Falling further gets you a bigger splat. Now, let's see how far this little piggy fell…"

Ema got down on one knee, pulled out the small ruler from before, and placed it beside the blood drop.

"Now, from the length of the diameter, I'd say this one fell around…" She started rubbing her chin. "… Wait a minute… that doesn't…"

She grew quiet. Then suddenly, something flashed across her features. Her eyebrows jumped up for a second, then a coldness seemed to wash over her face. Her wide smile turned into a dark frown.

"Leave," she said, her voice stern, serious, and above all, callous. "Leave now. Get out of here. You were headed somewhere; go there. Just leave."

"Uh… okay," Apollo stammered. He hadn't expected this sudden turn from Ema.

It turned out that there actually _was_ something that could bring her down. After 'Detective Fulbright', he really should have learned to stop making assumptions about a detective's mood.

He and Trucy exited the crime scene. From the look on her face, he could tell that she was just as unnerved by Ema's shift as he was.

 _If Ema's acting like this, there is_ definitely _something wrong here. I wonder what she found, and I wonder why it made her clam up like that._

 _But she's not about to tell me about it right now. I'll have to get it out of her at the trial somehow._

Just then, they heard footsteps coming from the direction they were headed. They turned to see Franziska come into view.

"Whew. Just in time," Ema muttered under her breath.

As soon as she saw the two of them at the edge of the crime scene, she frowned, and marched right on up to them with renewed purpose.

"Apollo Justice," Franziska said. "I hope you aren't badgering my detective in a vain attempt to gain more evidence… foolish as that would be."

"Uh… no. I was just… uh, walking past, and I—"

"Enough!" she yelled, raising her arm. Apollo flinched, then realized…

There wasn't any whip for her to strike him with. Warden Dent probably hadn't given her whip back yet.

 _And oh, am I thankful for that._ She must have forgotten that she'd lost it. Did she really carry it around that much?

She turned away from them, face slightly red with embarrassment. "If I had my whip with me, I would have made you pay for such insolence, Apollo Justice."

"I figured."

Franziska put a hand on her hip, and stared at him, her face serious. "You should know that your boss was the first person to ever truly challenge me in the courtroom. The first one to ever defeat the great Franziska Von Karma."

"And let me guess, you're looking to get revenge on him for that?"

She shook her head. "No. I just wanted to let you know that I have high expectations for you. Make no mistake: I will defeat you. I just don't want to see you crumble like a house of cards when I do." A warm smile appeared on her lips, as she gazed at him almost wistfully. "That would be no victory, but an embarrassment to my legacy."

 _Didn't she say she was going to 'crush' me earlier? Is this her way of telling me she actually hopes I do well?_

 _...She and the boss must have had an interesting relationship back in the day._

Her spiel must have been partially driven by her connection with the victim. It made Apollo think of a question. "Ms. Von Karma, did you know what your uncle was doing here in Los Angeles?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. "I do not, Apollo Justice. I am trying to acquire that information, but there seems to be something blocking my way, something greater than even I. It's most frustrating, being kept in the dark."

"I know." _Maybe throw a little empathy our way then and let us in on some evidence? I don't like being kept in the dark either._

"Were you and your uncle close?" he asked.

"Relatively. When I was in Germany studying for the bar exam, I lived with him. Not that it's any of your business." The way she stared at him… Apollo knew she didn't have her whip, but he still took a step back.

"I guess it isn't," Apollo said. "I just figured... you must have been close to him, to want to take his case so badly."

She looked straight into Apollo. "My uncle was a good man. He did not deserve what happened to him. You should know that while you defend his killer."

"You fully believe Gavin did it, then?"

"I do, Apollo Justice. My uncle once won a hard-fought battle against him in the courtroom, and I believe you already know that Kristoph Gavin is not one to let grudges rest."

"I see." _I should probably ask Kristoph about the trial, and his connection with Von Karma._

She turned to Trucy, and her smile got brighter as she leaned forward slightly towards the girl. "Ah, it has been a very long time since I saw you last, has it not, Trucy Wright?"

"It has, Ms. Franziska," Trucy said. "By the way, thanks again for helping out back when Daddy was down in the dumps."

"Your welcome. I'm glad I could at least talk some sense into him back then."

 _I really think I should ask the boss to tell me about Franziska… again. I'm pretty sure he barely mentioned her when he went over his old cases._

"Hey, Ms. Franziska." Trucy pulled off her top hat, and retrieved the bag of pretzels from underneath. "Do you want some pretzels?"

"Thank you for the offer, Trucy Wright, but I cannot accept," she said softly. "It would be simply irresponsible to eat while near a crime scene. Only the most foolish of the foolish fools would ever consider doing such a thing."

Ema suddenly looked away from Franziska, to her side. Apollo wouldn't have been surprised if she had suddenly started whistling. "Uh… yeah. That would be really irresponsible. Who would, ugh, do something like that?"

 _Oh, you do_ not _get to play innocent._

"Uh… Prosecutor Von Karma," the detective said, reaching over the tape to tap Franziska on the shoulder. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Very well." She turned back to face Apollo and Trucy. "I think it is about time you two left this place. It was nice talking with you, Apollo Justice."

Ema's eyes followed them as they left the hallway, heading once more towards the wide-open confines of Cell Block A.

* * *

 **Cell Block A**

 **Ground Floor**

 **6:04 PM**

Apollo and Trucy exited out into a large open space at the centre of the cell block. Cells lined the walls in every direction, only stopping at the exits behind and in front of him. He hadn't been able to get a good look at the area the first time he'd come through here, since he and Phoenix were hurrying to investigate Kristoph's cell. Now that he had a chance to get a better look, he saw just how similar it was to the upper levels.

From what he had seen so far (the map of the prison he would likely receive the next day would probably confirm his suspicions), the entire cell block was centered around this wide-open space in the middle of the ground floor. The upper floors overlooked it, and thankfully, had a metal mesh to stop anybody from falling over. If they hadn't, he wondered if Von Karma would have instead died by a broken neck instead of a cut throat.

He had seen hallways leading to more cells on his both sides on the way to the centre space, but the whole thing seemed designed so that people could move easily from one end of the cell block to the other through this open area.

"Wow, Polly! This place is so big," Trucy said.

"It's a major prison, Trucy. It kind of has to be," he replied.

" _Psssh._ "

 _Did I hear something?_

"What was that?" she asked.

He waited without giving an answer. He knew that if he did that, he would find out soon enough.

"Psssh. Over here."

Yes, he had definitely heard something.

They followed the sound around a nearby pillar, one of the many supporting the upper walkways. There, leaning with his back against it, was a young man.

He had long, black hair tied back in a thin ponytail. His lanky frame was clad in an orange prison jumpsuit (why he had to wear a jumpsuit, and someone like Kristoph was able to wear a suit, Apollo didn't know). The lower half of his face was covered with the tiniest bit of stubble. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were pointed right at the two of them.

"You wouldn't happen to be Gavin's defense attorney, would you?" he asked.

"I am," he said, mustering up all the confidence he had. The prisoner didn't look dangerous, but looks could be deceiving. "My name is Apollo Justice, and I will be representing Kristoph Gavin tomorrow in court."

The prisoner lifted himself off the pillar he had slouching against, and slipped one of his hands into the pockets of the jumpsuit. The other he held out towards the young attorney.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Apollo."

Apollo decided to accept the handshake.

"Now tell me," Apollo said after letting go of the mystery prisoner's hand, "who are you and what do you want?"

"Name's Ivan," the prisoner said. "I've been looking for you two: the defense attorney and his assistant. I'm doing this for my boss. Y'see, he's kind of a big shot in this prison." He leaned in, smile on half his face. "The Supplier."

 _The Supplier, huh? This could be good._

"My boss, uh, he kind of owes Gavin a favour. So, I'm supposed to help out his defense attorneys however I can."

 _Wow. Seems we got lucky here. I didn't think we would encounter someone working for the Supplier so easily. What did Kristoph do to get the Supplier to owe him this big a favour?_

 _...Actually, never mind. I don't want to know._

"And you are?" he said, turning his eyes to Trucy.

"I'm Trucy Wright," she replied. "I'm…" She trailed off, realizing that Ivan already knew she was Apollo's assistant, desperately trying to find something else to say.

"Umm… do you want any pretzels?" She pulled out the bag and offered it to him.

"No, I'm good."

"So you work for the Supplier, huh?" Apollo asked him. "Do you think we could meet your boss? I have some questions I want to ask him."

Ivan let out a sigh that seemed to make him slouch a bit more. "I thought you'd ask that question. Sorry. Can't do anything more on that front. My boss is a busy man, y'see. Sending me was the best he could do."

"It doesn't seem the favour your boss owes Gavin is that big."

That got Ivan to laugh. A small grin appeared on his face.

"I'm one of his top guys. I know a lot about what my boss does. Any question he can answer, I can answer. And again, I'm here to help Gavin."

 _Seems we'll have to settle for Ivan now. I'll have to find some way to meet the Supplier later._

 _I should probably show him_ that _piece of evidence. He could probably tell us a lot about it._

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the little evidence bags he'd learned to start keeping in his pockets. This one contained the receipt he'd found earlier.

"What can you tell me about this order?"

Ivan took the bag from his hand, and scanned it over.

"Not much. Other than what's already written on the receipt, which I think you're smart enough to understand, I can't really say anything more about it." He then added, "Not here, at least."

"What do you mean?"

"There's an empty cell on the fourth floor we use as an office. The records we keep there have a whole lot more stuff in them, way more than the receipts. Need to keep those things short, y'know."

He handed the bag back to Apollo. "Follow me. You can see 'em for yourself."

Apollo and Trucy exchanged a glance. They both knew they couldn't trust Ivan, despite how helpful he seemed to be at the moment. He was a prisoner. He had to have done _something_ to get locked up in here.

And Apollo guessed a prisoner would have to do more to become of the Supplier's top men.

Still, this was information they could use badly. If it was real, of course, but Apollo was optimistic. If a prisoner wanted something, they would almost certainly go through the Supplier. One of the main pieces of evidence pinning Kristoph to the crime scene was a product that had to have been brought in from outside.

If any other prisoner wanted the same brand of nail polish as Kristoph, they would buy it from the Supplier. The records could tell him if there was someone else who bought that nail polish. Another buyer meant another suspect, and a chance to acquit his client.

So, Apollo decided to go with it. They may not be able trust Ivan completely, but they would have to trust that he wasn't going to lead them on a wild goose chase.

Ivan led the way. They followed.

* * *

 **A/N: Woohoo, 5K views. I would like to thank all of you for reading this story, and an extra thank you for those who favourited, followed, or reviewed. Thanks a bunch, everyone.**

 **I hope you liked the chapter. Consider it an early Christmas gift. I'm writing Chapter 12 right now, and let me tell you, it's a fun one. I hope you enjoy it just as much.**

* * *

 **Court Record**

Profiles:

Apollo Justice

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Description: Me. I'm a defense attorney working for the Wright Anything Agency.

Phoenix Wright

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: My boss. The head of the Wright Anything Agency. A famous defense attorney who's well known in the legal system.

Trucy Wright

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Description: Mr. Wright's daughter and a young, talented magician. She's being threatened by the mysterious voice.

Athena Cykes

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Description: A rookie attorney who joined our offices a little over a year ago. She can hear the emotions in people's voices.

Kristoph Gavin

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Description: The accused. He's also my former boss and mentor. A disgraced attorney found guilty of murder.

Klavier Gavin

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Description: Kristoph's brother. A prosecutor for the district court. Also, a rockstar. Me and him are friends.

Warren Dent

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Description: The warden of the prison where Kristoph is imprisoned, and where the murder took place. Best not break any of his rules.

Virginia Freud

Age: 34

Gender: Female

Description: The prison's Chief Psychologist. Takes her job seriously… for the most part. She can act a bit unprofessional at times. Seems nice though.

The Mysterious Voice

Age: ?

Gender: ?

Description: A voice on a phone. I have no idea who they are, but they want Kristoph defended, and they're threatening Trucy's life to get me to do it.

Wilhelm Von Karma

Age: Deceased

Gender: Male

Description: The victim. A world-renowned prosecutor and opera singer.

Ema Skye

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Description: The lead detective on this case. She's been the detective in charge of cases in my past.

Franziska Von Karma

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Description: The prosecutor for this case. She's the victim's niece, and has some history with my boss. She also likes to whip people. Whip them good.

Mr. Beige

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A mysterious man wearing a beige suit and dark sunglasses. He has a high-tech cell phone jammer at his disposal. Who is this guy?

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: The Chief Prosecutor of the Los Angeles District Court. Also, a good friend of Mr. Wright's.

Ivan

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A prisoner working for the Supplier. He says he's one of his boss' top men. Can I trust him?

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge

Description: My badge. It proves I'm a full-fledged defense attorney.

Mysterious Phone

Description: The phone the mystery voice used to call me. It was switched out, and now I have another one.

Opera Flyer

Description: A flyer for a night of opera on July 15th with Wilhelm Von Karma.

Magatama

Description: A strange talisman that belongs to the boss. It shows the secrets people are hiding as locks.

Nail Polish Bottle

Description: Found on the body. It's the brand Kristoph uses.

Box Cutter

Description: The murder weapon. Kristoph's fingerprints were found on it.

Packing Peanut

Description: Found at the crime scene. The type that would be used to protect fragile packages.

Bloody Handprint

Description: Found at the crime scene. It's slightly smeared. I have no idea who it belongs to.

Letter

Description: A letter we found in Kristoph's cell from Klavier. Mentions a concert of some sort on July 15th.

Receipt

Description: A receipt for a bottle of nail polish Kristoph ordered from the Supplier.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Ivan led the two of them up the staircase to one of the higher levels, hands never leaving the pockets of his jumpsuit. He seemed unfazed by the situation, as if anything that came up would just bounce right off him. It reminded Apollo a little of his former boss.

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"So, Ivan, what other information do you keep in the records you're planning to show us?"

He turned back to face them as they clambered up the last steps to the third floor.

"Why are you asking? We're almost there."

"I'm just curious."

"There's all sorts of stuff: how someone payed, when they payed, when they picked it up, whether they bought the same thing before. That kind of info."

They continued up the staircase, the silence once again falling upon them like a fog. They made it up two more flights of stairs before Ivan broke it.

"Don't trust me, do you?"

"Not really." Apollo didn't see a reason to deny it.

"'Cause I'm a prisoner, right?"

Ivan couldn't see Apollo nod, but he was able to know his response all the same.

"I'll have you know that just because we're criminals doesn't mean we're all bad people. Sometimes things just don't work out, and life puts you in a situation where there's no good choices. Most of the people here are like that."

"They still broke the law," Trucy said. "And they still killed people."

"Hey! Not everyone's in here for a killing a guy either," he said casually, like he didn't exactly care either way.

"What about you, Ivan? What are you in here for?" Apollo asked.

Ivan chuckled as they reached the fourth floor. "Me? Well, I killed a guy."

"Then why did—"

"Self-defense, though. Court ruled it that way. He tried to kill me first, so if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't be here breathing right now."

"I see," Apollo said after Ivan's interruption.

The prisoner slowed down before stopping in front of an open cell door. "Well, here we are. It's not that fancy. Pretty sure you can guess why."

 **Cell A347**

 **Supplier's Office**

 **6:15 PM**

Ivan was right. The cell, or 'office', didn't contain many luxuries. However, it was by no means sparse. A small barred window on the far wall let in the evening sun, and in the corner sat a small toilet and sink (both having gone long without use, considering the sheets of cardboard that had been placed on top of them), upon which sat a variety of items. There were books, movies, Steel Samurai memorabilia, all sorts of things.

In the centre was a small desk, and on top of it sat an old-fashioned typewriter, a sheet of white stationery placed inside. _So that's what they use to write the receipts._

Apollo looked to his left to see a man in another orange jumpsuit seated on a swivel chair hunched over a desk, facing away from them. From behind, Apollo could see he had brown hair.

"Ah, finally back, I see," the man spoke without turning to look at them. "Perfect timing. Just finished fixing up the first radio."

Ivan smiled. "Good to hear."

"I should have the sec—" The man spun around to face them, stopping when he saw Apollo and Trucy.

His eyes widened when he saw the two. Now that he was facing them, Apollo could see that he had a magnifying glass in one hand, and a screwdriver in the other. The defense attorney couldn't put his finger on it, but something about him seemed familiar. He didn't recognize the man's face at all, but there was something about him the lawyer just couldn't shake.

"Uh… Like I was saying, I should be able to get the second one fixed, uh, t-tonight."

Ivan took a couple steps toward the other prisoner. "You sure you'll be able to handle it? Seem a bit uncertain to me."

"I'm sure. It's just…" His eyes darted over to Apollo. "I just didn't expect to see anybody else here. It distracted me for a moment. My bad."

"Ah yeah, that's true. If you have the first one ready to go, let's get it up and running. Listen to your hard work pay off and all."

The other prisoner handed Ivan an old-looking radio from the desk. Ivan spent a little while inspecting it, turning it over this way and that. As he did, the other prisoner seemed to shy away and avoided looking at the lawyer or Trucy. Apollo took notice of this.

"Uh… I-It's good to see you again, Mr. Justice," the other prisoner said.

"Huh? Do I know you?" His intuition had been right. This man _did_ know him. But from where? Was Apollo the one who put him in prison?

"Yes, though we didn't see each other much. I mainly dealt with your… _colleagues_. You don't recognize me?"

Apollo shook his head. "No. I can't say I do. Sorry."

"I can under— Wait, maybe this would help you more." The prisoner who Apollo apparently knew lifted the magnifying glass in front of his eye, then blinked.

That's when it hit Apollo. The attorney frowned. "I… can't say I expected to see you again, Mr. Tonate. Not after what you did."

The former bomb disposal expert was nearly unrecognizable without the various contraptions he had worn in the courtroom. Apollo guessed the police had taken them back upon his conviction.

"You two, uh, know each other?" Ivan asked, seemingly having missed the earlier part of their conversation. He set the radio down.

"Mr. Justice was the lawyer for the first half of the Solomon Starbuck trial," Tonate told Ivan, before forcing down a swallow. "It was the trial I… oversaw. That was where I—"

Apollo didn't wait for the guy to explain. "This guy's a cowardly bastard who hit me over the back of the head. And why did he do that?! So he could use my blood to pin a murder and a terrorist attack on a high school girl."

"I'm very sorry about all that, Mr. Justice. But I had nothing to do the bomb going off! You even proved that!"

"You still tried framing Juniper for it!"

"Yeah! You still tried blaming Junie, you coward!" Trucy joined in.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ivan said, casually stepping between Tonate and the two of them, raising both his hands. "We're all friends here." He turned his head towards Tonate. "Think it'd be better if you leave for now, Ted."

The bomb disposal expert seemed taken aback. "But then I won't be able to get the second radio done on time. You want—"

"It's fine," Ivan said. "We got one working. That's good enough for now… Just relax. I'll tell my boss I was the one who sent you away. He'll understand, trust me."

"Well, if your boss is okay with it..." Tonate lifted himself from his seat and left the cell. He gave Apollo and Trucy one last glance before he stepped out of sight.

Apollo's eyes followed him until he was gone, then he turned them to Ivan.

"I thought you said that most of the prisoners here weren't bad people," he said with an accusatory tone. "Or does framing a high school girl make you a good person nowadays?"

"Like I already told you, _most_."

"Then tell me something new: are all the other people who work for your boss the same as Mr. Tonate?"

Ivan let out an annoyed sigh. "Hey, just 'cause I work with the guy doesn't mean I like what he did. Trust me, I don't like murderers."

"You're a murderer!"

Ivan shrugged. "Again, self-defense. But I can understand making the wrong decision in the heat of the moment. Don't think I don't know 'bout Ted's case. I don't approve of him trying to frame your friend."

"And he still works for your boss?"

"Y'see, my boss isn't the kind of person who would pass up on promising talent. Doesn't matter what stuff they did. Ted may be a killer, but the guy's a tech wiz too. Knows these machines inside and out, and he's probably the only person in this place who can fix the stuff we have. In here, you take what you can get." Ivan stepped past Apollo back to the centre desk. "Now, let's see if he managed to get this old piece of junk working."

Apollo and Trucy watched as he switched the radio on. Sound immediately started blaring from the speakers before Ivan turned the volume down a bit. He played with the dial, switching between a bunch of different stations before settling on one with the news.

"Well, look at that. See, I told you the guy knows his stuff." Ivan smiled, before he turned it to another station, this one playing some sort of talk show, and left it at that.

"What are you planning to listen to?" Apollo asked, eyes focused on the machine. It looked old. As in, not from this _century_ old.

"Oh, not me. Rule is, person guarding the place gets to choose the channel. I'm just tuning in to Little Phil's favourite station."

"Little Phil?"

Ivan nodded. "Yeah, he's sitting behind you." He called out to someone behind Apollo. "Hey Phil, mind introducing yourself?"

Apollo turned around to find himself staring at a man sitting on one of the chairs. Apollo and Trucy had completely failed to notice him the entire time they had been there. He was bald and had skin pale enough that Apollo wondered if he and Warden Dent were distant cousins. He looked much healthier than the warden, though.

'Little' Phil stood up from his chair and walked over to Apollo without saying a word. Apollo resisted the urge to run away.

"I-I see why you c-call him 'Little'," was all Apollo could stammer out as he locked eyes with the prisoner who towered over him.

"I know," Ivan said, smile on his face. "He's the guy who makes sure no one steals anything. It's not like I don't trust most of the people here not to steal. I mean, why would you steal something when the warden could just have the whole prison searched? But all it takes is one person to ruin it for everybody else, so the honour system just isn't viable."

Apollo was bending backwards over the desk more and more to increase the distance between the two. "He seems like he would be… very effective." Little Phil was almost seven feet tall. The man was massive. He had a scowl on his face and he was looking down on Apollo like he could crush him any second.

"Excuse Phil. He doesn't like to talk much. Mainly because he can't. Two inmates in his old prison jumped him. Slashed his vocal cords all up."

"I-Is that so?" he squeaked out. Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead as Little Phil kept invading his space.

"Yeah," Ivan replied, pretending not to notice the situation. "But at the end of the fight, he was the only one left standing. He managed to grab the heads of those two goons, and well… you ever crush a grape in your hand?"

Apollo looked at Little Phil's hands; they were _huge_.

"Took twelve guards to restrain him when the fight was over. It's one of the reasons people here don't mess with Little Phil. Let's just say, because of him, my boss doesn't need to worry about that one person ever coming along."

"I… can understand why."

Ivan smirked as he stepped beside Apollo, who was just about to fall over backwards onto the desk from the amount of leaning he was doing. Not that Apollo could see, as focused on Little Phil as he was. "What I'm trying to say here, is that my boss isn't a person to be messed with. He's a pretty helpful and generous guy, but if someone tries to cross him, well… it's not going to go well for 'em."

"I-I get your point," Apollo said with a gulp.

"What point?" Ivan stepped backwards, smirk still on his face.

"If you really want to convince us you're not a bad person, Ivan, maybe don't threaten Apollo," Trucy said from the attorney's left.

Apollo turned his head, having briefly forgotten she was there. Her hands were balled up in fists out in front of her, and Apollo could see a fire in her eyes. It was moments like this where he was thankful for his assistant.

Ivan once again casually held his hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not threatening anybody. I'm just explaining how things work around here. Telling you about our security and all that. No threats at all."

Apollo turned back to Ivan, regaining a bit of his courage. Little Phil may have been massive, but Apollo knew that he had the real power in this situation. "Then you mind telling your friend here to give me a little space?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, not at all. Phil, give the guy some space, would ya?"

Without saying a word, Little Phil turned, walked back to his chair, and sat down. He kept watching the three of them, the scowl never leaving his face. _Maybe scowling is just this guy's default expression… who knows?_

Apollo straightened himself, then his tie, then turned to face Ivan. "Okay, Ivan, now that you're done telling me about how this place is run, why don't you tell me about Kristoph's order? That's why you brought us here, isn't it?"

The prisoner looked almost amused. "Yeah, yeah. Right away, sir," he said before giving a mock salute.

Apollo and Trucy kept a close eye on him as he wandered behind the desk. "Like I told you earlier, we keep a whole lotta records. They're these massive books that contain info for every single order. They're so big, that if you dropped them on a small child, they'd probably kill the kid." He pulled out a key. "We keep all our books locked up in this desk."

Ivan inserted the key into the lock on one of the desk's upper drawers and turned it. Apollo heard a light click. Ivan opened the drawer, and frowned.

"Huh, that's weird," he said. "It isn't here."

"Really?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah. See for yourself."

Apollo moved behind the desk to take a peek. Ivan wasn't lying; the drawer was empty. Apollo looked at Ivan, and saw that there was some concern in his eyes.

"Do you think you might have just put it in another drawer by accident? The desk seems to have a couple of them."

Ivan shook his head. "No. Those are old records. Current records go in the top drawer, older stuff in the bottom ones. Trust me, nobody who works here would be stupid enough to break that golden rule."

"Then what happened to it?"

"Somebody must have taken it."

Hearing that was like a punch to the gut for Apollo. He _needed_ that evidence. He had no doubt that those records would tell him who the nail polish belonged to. It could be his best defense against one of the prosecution's main pieces of evidence against his client.

He tried to keep calm, but his breathing quickened. "Ivan, do you know who could've taken it?"

Ivan started rubbing his chin. "No, not me, but… Hey, Phil! See anybody weird around here lately? Poking their nose around the drawer or whatnot?"

Little Phil shook his head.

"Okay. Thanks, Phil," he said, before muttering to Apollo; "That makes things complicated."

"How so?"

"Phil's on guard duty all the time. If he didn't see anything, it didn't happen."

"Couldn't somebody have come and taken the book when he wasn't here? You guys are prisoners, so I assume you get escorted to your cell at the end of the day. Maybe they snuck in then?"

"No, that wouldn't happen. Phil is here from the moment we first open the office, to the moment the guards shut the door."

Trucy piped up. "Maybe the guards didn't lock the door properly?"

Ivan snorted. "I wish. All the cell doors are controlled by computers. There's one big mainframe that people use to remotely open and close the cells. Ted explained the whole shebang to me, so if you want to know more, go ask him."

"Not likely."

"…Suit yourself. Anyway, the guards have to radio in to the people controlling the doors to get them open or shut, and shut means locked. Phil won't let this door out of his sight until he sees it shut. So, believe me, it didn't happen."

Just then, a thought occurred to Apollo. It was one that disturbed him, but considering everything he knew, it was possibility.

No, it was more than that. It seemed like it was the only possibility left at this point.

"So what you're saying is that, in order for somebody to steal your records, they would have had to open the doors after Phil left?"

"…Yeah, and the only people who can do that are…"

Apollo and Ivan both went silent at the answer. Ivan frowned, clearly not liking the implication. Apollo probably liked the idea even less.

Ivan was the first to speak. "...But then, why would… Actually, no. Never mind. Forget about all that. I know exactly where it is," he said, his demeanor changing at the drop of a hat.

"Huh? You do?"

Ivan's smile returned to his face. "Yeah. After this morning's shipment, I took our records back to my cell to check over some numbers in private… well, as private as you can get in this place. But anyway, it's in there. I'll head on over to my cell to get it."

"So your cell's close?"

"Nah. Cell Block B. It's on the ground floor. Cell 55," he said.

"I thought prisoners were confined to their cell blocks at this time?" Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow. "How the heck are you planning to leave?"

Ivan just chuckled like Apollo had told a joke. "Don't worry, I have my ways. Just got to tell a guard it's business for my boss, and he'll escort me back to my cell. Just wait, have a seat, and I'll be back in no time." He left the cell and turned out of sight.

 _Sheesh, from the way he talks, you'd think the Supplier was the one really in charge around here._

Apollo was just about to turn when Ivan leaned his head back into view. "Oh yeah, there's some Chinese in the back. Don't know how old it is or if it's any good, but help yourself if you want any," he said before finally leaving.

Apollo didn't bother with the suspicious-sounding Chinese food, and instead took a seat at Ted's workbench near the cell door. Trucy wandered behind the desk before suddenly recoiling in horror. Probably the Chinese food.

She quickly snatched a chair from behind the desk and brought it over to Apollo, sitting down beside him. The sound of the old radio filled the air. Neither party felt like talking with Phil still around. Having nothing better to do, Apollo listened as he waited for Ivan to return.

The commercial break quickly came to end, and Apollo's ears were bombarded by a short cheesy-sounding melody making heavy use of the synthesizer. He recognized the tune that wouldn't sound out of place in a bad sci-fi movie and smiled.

"Hello, welcome back to Hidden Secrets: the show where we dig through the layers of lies _they_ stick in front of us," the voice on the radio, a man, said. "For those who just joined us, I'm your host, Bradley Caster. We're just past the halfway point of our show and we're be taking your calls until nine."

'Hidden Secrets with Bradley Caster' was a talk radio show that covered strange phenomena and conspiracy theories. Apollo's opinions towards it were… complicated. He was a lawyer, so the theories he liked were those backed up by evidence. That said, he liked to tune in to just to see what ridiculous things people on the show believed. Every day was filled with conversations about topics like secret Chinese satellites and hidden civilizations on the Moon. He didn't believe any of it, but it almost always got a good chuckle out of him. Some of the conversations left him picking his jaw off the floor and laughing so hard he started crying.

It was a surprisingly popular program, with some of the highest daily ratings in the city, though Apollo guessed that less than a quarter of those listening in actually believed the stuff the program talked about, while about three-quarters or more of the audience were like him and just listened in to hear what ridiculous topic someone would talk about next.

"Now, our next caller didn't give us a name… and you know what, friends? That's perfectly fine," his deep, booming voice rang clear. "Unlike what the government might try to tell us, might try to convince us with their _lies_ , not wanting people snooping through your private information does _not_ mean you have anything to hide. Now, mystery caller, you're on the air."

"Umm… uh… C-Can you hear me? Umm… Bradley, can you hear me?" a new voice crackled out of the radio. It belonged to a woman.

"Yes, you're coming through, loud and clear," he told her.

"Oh, thank god," she said, sounding scared and breathless. "This is big… oh my god, this is big. I… I can't… believe it."

"Go on," he said, prodding her for more information. Apollo leaned slightly forward in anticipation.

"It's the C.I.A., Bradley. The C.I.A. are in Los Angeles right now and they're messing with the court system from behind the scenes and interfering with trials to get the outcomes they want!"

His smile turned into a grin. Yes, this was the kind of craziness he listened to 'Hidden Secrets' for.

"So, the C.I.A. is here? You seem to know a lot. What do you think they want? Because knowing that might help us uncover exactly what they're doing."

Apollo didn't know if Caster actually believed the things talked about on his show, but he always did a fantastic job sounding like he did. It was why so many people called in no matter how insane the stuff they believed was. Caster was always a sympathetic voice willing to hear them out.

"I… I don't know… but… but, you see… I _know_ they're not supposed to BE here, so it can't be anything good. Not if THEY are sticking their dirty fingers where THEY don't belong."

"So how do you know about them? How do you know they're here?"

"I've seen them. Their agents, t-t-they're everywhere. Pulling the strings… getting the outcomes _they_ want… T-This entire system, it's corrupt! Trust me, Bradley, it's all corrupt. High ranking members of _our_ local government are working with the C.I.A. and covering this up. So they don't look bad."

"So the C.I.A. is actively working with our local government to suppress knowledge of their operations on domestic soil?"

"Yes! That's _exactly_ what they're doing, Bradley! I've seen them. And… I-I-I think they might been spying on me… Oh no. Ohno-ohno-ohno, nononononononono… they might be tracing this call, right now." It sounded like the mystery caller had started panting. "Oh no. I can't let them find me. Oh god… ohgodohgodohgod."

There was a loud beep, indicating the call had ended.

Caster smoothly continued after the mystery caller's sudden exit. "Now this, my friends, is interesting. I'm pretty sure most of you think this is far-fetched."

 _That's an understatement,_ Apollo thought.

"Now, the C.I.A. isn't supposed to be working on American soil, so I'm sure they'll officially deny all of this. But the thing is: the C.I.A. is an organization of liars. This is the same organization that orchestrated coups and overthrew democratically-elected governments, then lied about it to our faces for the next fifty years. I wouldn't trust a single word that comes out of their mouths, which is why I think our mystery caller might be onto something… Anyway, onto our next caller, who gave us a name. Welcome, Susan, to the show."

"Hello, Bradley," a new woman said. "It's a pleasure to be on."

"No, the pleasure's all mine," he responded. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well… first off, I gotta admit, I don't… really believe most of the stuff you talk about here. I think it's kind of ridiculous, actually," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, that's perfectly fine. People have different opinions. I don't think there's one person in this audience who believes every single thing someone says on this show. The important point is to believe what you think is the truth, and always be searching for hidden secrets," he said, repeating the show's tagline.

"Anyway, this is sort of related to the last caller. She's right!"

Apollo's eyes jumped a bit. He hadn't been expecting that, especially after her introduction.

"Not about the C.I.A. stuff, of course. She's right when she says this legal system is corrupt." She took a couple of audible deep breaths before continuing. "My brother went to prison on false charges. I was there in the courtroom, and the prosecution had barely any evidence. But he was still convicted anyway."

Apollo's stomach sank as he listened to her story. Unlike the lizard men he had been expecting, this story hit a little too close to home for him.

"Sounds terrible. If you're okay with divulging the information on the air, what happened to him?"

"He ended up being freed a couple months ago. I guess I should be happy, but… he never should have been in there in the first place! My brother lost four years of his life because some prosecutor wanted a better conviction rate." He could hear her voice crack over the radio. "They're corrupt; the whole bunch of them. All those prosecutors and this whole legal system."

Her story was one he had heard many times: victims of The Dark Age of the Law. People didn't trust the legal system, and honestly, after hearing about what had happened to some of them, Apollo could see why.

Being a defense attorney, Apollo put his trust in the legal system. He disagreed with her, but he still understood her anger, and couldn't deny that she and her brother had probably been wronged. He just had to continue putting his faith in the system. The Dark Age of the Law was over. Things were improving ever since Blackquill was acquitted.

But he had to admit, the system still had a long way to go to regain people's trust.

He glanced at the badge pinned to his vest. It was a small piece of metal, barely weighing anything, but right now, it felt a lot heavier than it had before.

"Ah, yes; The Dark Age of the Law. The Prosecutor's Office says that things are changing, and that that time is coming to an end. They say they're getting rid of all the bad apples and working to regain the public's trust."

"If they want to regain my trust, then maybe they actually try to make up for what happened! Do you know what my brother got after he was freed: an apology and a 'promise' to do better. You know what, an apology doesn't pay rent. An apology doesn't make up for what they took from him. They haven't apologized at all. They're just trying to sweep everything under the rug. But no, it's like they're expecting us to forget about all the harm they did because two cases had their results overturned." A sardonic laugh. "And it seems to be working. You know the prosecutor who got my brother convicted? He's still working. He's still taking cases. Seems like they forgot about him when cleaning up all their 'bad apples'."

She sounded like she was holding back tears. "That's all I have to say." The call ended.

Caster kept talking. "I would say that surprises me, but it doesn't. The legal system has always been a mess of corruption. Now, this is probably me showing my age," he said before letting out a light chuckle, "but what you young people call 'The Dark Age of the Law', I just call 'The Law'. I mean, the cases that started this so-called 'Dark Age' are _nothing_ compared to the kind of corruption that went on back in the day. You would have thought that prosecutors using forged evidence and a former Chief Prosecutor being convicted of murder and evidence tampering would be part of a 'Dark Age of the Law', but apparently that stuff is considered normal in this city. Really makes you think. Now, onto our next caller."

Apollo's mood soured even more as the next caller brought up their own problem with the legal system: having a friend convicted with what was likely forged evidence.

"And you want to know what really gets me?" they were saying. "They're doing all this stuff to get convictions, but you never see any of the real criminals in this city touched. You know, the crime families. Instead it's always the little people who can't do anything about it, while they sit back and let the mobs get away with everything. I don't want to give any specifics, but I would like to congratulate the local heroes out there who finally did something about these criminals, without any help from the law."

"I think I know what you're referring to," Caster had replied. "And I'm afraid we aren't allowed to discuss _that_ matter on the air. I think everyone who knows what I'm referring to knows why."

The line became filled with people calling in to complain about their mistreatment by the legal system. Just hearing the hatred some of those people had for the law made Apollo feel terrible. His faith in the law was set in stone, but the constant horror stories were acting like torrential rain.

He turned to Little Phil, planning to ask him if he could change the station, only to find him leaned forward, listening intently, and decided that doing so wouldn't be a good idea. So, he just waited. A glance at Trucy told him that she was just as disturbed by the things she was hearing as he was.

The moment Ivan stepped back into the cell carrying a giant book, Apollo stood up and walked over to him. "Did you get it?" he asked, wanting to get the conversation over with and out of the cell as quickly as possible.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ivan said. "What do ya think I'm carrying, Apollo? Relax, we're in no rush. Come with me, there's something I wanna show you."

He took the book over to the desk, (thankfully) shut off the radio, and opened it up to a page in the middle, tapping one of the entries. "Take a look here. It's the full order information for that one on the receipt."

He did as Ivan asked him to. The information on the page was laid out in a grid, with certain columns missing data. The handwriting wasn't the most legible, but he could still make it out. He saw Kristoph's name, cell number, the amount the order cost…

 _Wow. That's way cheaper than I thought it would be. I guess Kristoph's tastes aren't as expensive as I thought._

"Now, look at these last few columns here. You notice how the receipt gave an estimate for when the order would come in? This column here says when it actually came in."

Apollo's eyes followed Ivan's finger. The box contained the words 'July 17, 2028'. But that would mean…

"Turns out the nail polish was part of this morning's shipment. The signature beside it is from a guard. They always watch us unpack the deliveries; this signature is them saying the item was there. But now here's the interesting thing: we have prisoners sign when they pick their stuff up, just to confirm they actually got what they paid for. The signature goes… here."

He looked to where Ivan pointed. The column that held the prisoner's signature was blank for the nail polish's entry.

"So Kristoph never got the nail polish?" Apollo spoke with mouth agape.

"Or he's just trying to screw my boss over by not signing for it. Everyone loves getting free stuff." Ivan shrugged his shoulders. "You're probably right, though. I'm going with he didn't get it."

"You really trust Kristoph?" Apollo asked.

The prisoner smirked. "I don't trust anyone, so no, but I _do_ trust that he isn't going to do something exceptionally stupid like pull one over on my boss when he can easily find out. I trust him to not do that. But you know what?" He made a motion to the hallway. "Let's get the truth from the man himself. He should be in his cell right now. You can come along if you want. Again, I'm here to help."

Apollo eagerly nodded. "Of course, just let me…"

He took a picture of the page and updated his Court Record with the new information he discovered. "Got it."

He followed Ivan out of the cell. Trucy tagged along behind him, noticeably reluctant.

This was it. This was the moment he had been dreading, and it was almost upon them.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter, though it did take me a while. It was a fun one to write.**

 **There's not really that much more to say, but thank you to reading. If you like the story, or just have something you want to comment about, please leave a review. I always appreciate your feedback.**

* * *

 **Court Record**

Profiles:

Apollo Justice

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Description: Me. I'm a defense attorney working for the Wright Anything Agency.

Phoenix Wright

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: My boss. The head of the Wright Anything Agency. A famous defense attorney who's well known in the legal system.

Trucy Wright

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Description: Mr. Wright's daughter and a young, talented magician. She's being threatened by the mysterious voice.

Athena Cykes

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Description: A rookie attorney who joined our offices a little over a year ago. She can hear the emotions in people's voices.

Kristoph Gavin

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Description: The accused. He's also my former boss and mentor. A disgraced attorney found guilty of murder.

Klavier Gavin

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Description: Kristoph's brother. A prosecutor for the district court. Also, a rockstar. Me and him are friends.

Warren Dent

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Description: The warden of the prison where Kristoph is imprisoned, and where the murder took place. Best not break any of his rules.

Virginia Freud

Age: 34

Gender: Female

Description: The prison's Chief Psychologist. Takes her job seriously… for the most part. She can act a bit unprofessional at times. Seems nice though.

The Mysterious Voice

Age: ?

Gender: ?

Description: A voice on a phone. I have no idea who they are, but they want Kristoph defended, and they're threatening Trucy's life to get me to do it.

Wilhelm Von Karma

Age: Deceased

Gender: Male

Description: The victim. A world-renowned prosecutor and opera singer.

Ema Skye

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Description: The lead detective on this case. She's been the detective in charge of cases in my past.

Franziska Von Karma

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Description: The prosecutor for this case. She's the victim's niece, and has some history with my boss. She also likes to whip people. Whip them good.

Mr. Beige

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A mysterious man wearing a beige suit and dark sunglasses. He has a high-tech cell phone jammer at his disposal. Who is this guy?

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: The Chief Prosecutor of the Los Angeles District Court. Also, a good friend of Mr. Wright's.

Ivan

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A prisoner working for the Supplier. He says he's one of his boss' top men. Can I trust him?

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge

Description: My badge. It proves I'm a full-fledged defense attorney.

Mysterious Phone

Description: The phone the mystery voice used to call me. It was switched out, and now I have another one.

Opera Flyer

Description: A flyer for a night of opera on July 15th with Wilhelm Von Karma.

Magatama

Description: A strange talisman that belongs to the boss. It shows the secrets people are hiding as locks.

Nail Polish Bottle

Description: Found on the body. It's the brand Kristoph uses.

Box Cutter

Description: The murder weapon. Kristoph's fingerprints were found on it.

Packing Peanut

Description: Found at the crime scene. The type that would be used to protect fragile packages.

Bloody Handprint

Description: Found at the crime scene. It's slightly smeared. I have no idea who it belongs to.

Letter

Description: A letter we found in Kristoph's cell from Klavier. Mentions a concert of some sort on July 15th.

Receipt

Description: A receipt for a bottle of nail polish Kristoph ordered from the Supplier. Delivered today, but Kristoph might not have picked it up.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Prison**

 **Cell A234**

 **6:47 PM**

As the three of them approached Kristoph's cell, Apollo caught a glimpse of the disgraced attorney through the bars. He was sitting on his chair, a book in hand, with one leg crossed over the other. It was a surreal sight, mainly because it made Kristoph seem like he was anywhere _but_ the prison. He heard Trucy give a sigh of disapproval behind him.

Strangely enough, even though the door to his cell was open, Ivan didn't bother entering. He just leaned against the bars, and tapped his knuckles against the cold metal to get Kristoph's attention. The former attorney turned his head up from his book to see what the commotion was about. At first he looked annoyed that someone had disturbed him, but the look changed to a light surprise when he saw Ivan.

His voice remained flat. "Oh, it's you."

Kristoph glanced over and saw Apollo and his assistant and the look on his face changed to suspicion the second he laid his eyes upon them, just in time to turn back to Ivan.

"Tell me, are you working?"

"Yeah," Ivan said, not bothering with anything more.

Kristoph closed his book on his finger. A small smile made its way up his lips as he eyed the lanky prisoner.

"Very well, Ivan. May I ask what your boss wants with me?"

"Apparently, something came in for you today," Ivan said. "Bottle of nail polish. Your stuff. There was no signature saying someone picked it up, though. I just want to know if you got it… for bookkeeping purposes."

Kristoph sighed. "I'm afraid I have not. Sorry." Apollo's bracelet didn't react.

 _So, the nail polish on the receipt is actually missing. This is interesting._

Ivan waited a couple of seconds. "Okay. Got it. That's all I wanted," he said, cracking a smile. He pushed himself up off the bars and walked back to Apollo and Trucy. "Well, just like I thought. 'fraid that's it for me, though. Now I have to go find this thing. Inventory missing makes my boss look bad."

"Where are you planning to go?"

"I'll check the office; maybe someone brought it there. After that, the place we unpacked everything." He paused for a second, scratching his chin. "Hey, Apollo. I'm guessing you're interested in finding where this went, or where it didn't go, aren't ya?"

Apollo nodded. There was no reason to be dishonest to the prisoner.

"Well, since you are, there's a place you might want to look."

"Where?"

"The garbage."

If Apollo had a drink, he would have spit it out. He briefly wondered if the prisoner was joking with him, but Ivan looked and sounded completely serious.

Apollo crossed his arms in front of him and fixed Ivan with his own suspicious gaze. "And why are you asking me? Can't you go look yourself?" He had better things to be doing than going through garbage to help a prisoner.

"Well… no," Ivan said. "The place where all the garbage is collected is outside the cell blocks. It's by the prison kitchens and the staff entrance, so they don't let prisoners go out there. The path is guarded by metal detectors, just like the front. Our shipments come in boxes that get taken there for recycling after we're done unpacking things. Somebody might've accidentally put the nail polish back in the box and took it over there when they went to toss it."

Apollo rubbed his own chin as he went over Ivan's words. His logic made sense, and he had been honest with them so far, so it did seem like a lead worth pursuing. Even though Apollo had a pretty good idea where the missing nail polish had actually ended up, heading over there might give more evidence to his suspicions.

And with that, he responded to the prisoner. "We'll take a look. How do we get there?"

"You get there using the cell block's second entrance. Head back down to the ground floor. It's opposite the one you used when we first met, on the other end of the cell block. You should head there soon; they take out the garbage in an hour or two. Don't wanna be late."

"Got it. Thanks for the tip, Ivan."

"Again, I'm here to help Gavin. No need to thank me."

"There's one last thing I want to ask you, Ivan."

"Yeah?"

"You seem like the kind of person who knows about everything that goes on in this prison. I was wondering if there's been anything weird recently."

Ivan glanced away. "I'm afraid I'm n-"

"You're not authorized to reveal that information?"

His mouth opened into a sort of mischievous grin. "Yeah. Been hearing that a lot lately, haven't you?"

"I have."

"Well… isn't that a coincidence?" He shrugged.

Ivan was tight-lipped already, and considering he couldn't even get answers out of Ema, Apollo played along. "I guess it is."

"It's funny, y'know. Hearing the same thing over and over, makes you think someone's behind it all. And everybody's just repeating what someone told them. But that idea's just crazy, huh?"

Apollo smiled, catching Ivan's drift. "Yeah. Pretty crazy."

"I hope you find what you're looking for, Apollo." He waved goodbye and walked pass them. "See ya!"

Ivan's feet clanked against the steps as he left them alone.

Trucy looked at him, puzzled. "Polly, what was that?" she asked.

"Probably the closest thing I've gotten to an answer all day."

He took a deep breath. He and Trucy were alone with Kristoph now, and this time, there wasn't any bulletproof glass separating them.

Trucy had a hard expression on her face. She looked determined, hands balled up into fists in front of her, but there was still hesitation. Apollo knew the magician well enough to understand she was mentally preparing herself for this encounter.

As for Apollo, he was confident in himself. He was Apollo Justice and he was fine. But even with all his confidence, there was still uncertainty; a small part of him that wanted to get away from this cell as soon as possible. He had his bracelet. He had confronted Kristoph before. He had nothing to fear. But with an open cell door being the only thing in between the two, there was still that twisted feeling in his gut.

"I suppose you wish to talk with me, Justice," Kristoph said, his voice tearing Apollo from his thoughts. He slipped a bookmark between the pages of his book and set it on his nightstand. "Concerning this case, I assume. I don't see any other good reason for you to be here. Please, come in." He turned his gaze to Trucy, and Apollo could swear he saw her shake. "You too, Trucy."

 _Okay. Might as well just get it over with._

Under Kristoph's gaze, Apollo took a few uneasy steps into his cell. He glanced back to Trucy; she was right behind him now. Whatever hesitation she had felt before, she was doing her best not to show it.

"I see you've met Ivan," Kristoph said. "I was curious whether his boss would get involved."

"The Supplier owes you a favour, huh?"

Kristoph raised an eyebrow. "Yes. How do you know about that?"

He caught on to what his former boss was trying to do. It was something he had seen Kristoph do in the courtroom several times. The question was asked quickly enough to catch Apollo off guard. There was an obvious answer, but he was counting on Apollo not realizing that. He wanted Apollo to slip up.

Apollo wondered why his former boss and current client was playing these games with him, when glanced over to the side of the nightstand. On the floor sat the wastebasket Apollo had knocked over earlier, far away from where he had last seen it. Kristoph must have realized it had been moved.

"Ivan told me," he said, tone flat. "Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Justice. It's just that something has gone missing from my cell."

 _The missing receipt._ But Kristoph didn't mention exactly what went missing. Of course not.

Apollo continued to play dumb. "What did you lose? Maybe I could help?"

 _He's_ has _to know I'm aware of his courtroom strategies. Does he really think this will work?_

Even though Apollo could see why Kristoph was doing it, it was annoying. And truth be told, a tad insulting.

"Don't worry. It's nothing you need to concern yourself about."

 _Okay. No luck there._

Apollo had been afraid to ask his next question, but did so anyway. "And why does the Supplier owe you a favour? What did you do?"

Kristoph frowned, and pushed up his glasses. "Isn't it obvious, Justice? I defended him, as was my duty at the time. What did you think I did?"

Apollo didn't respond. He had been expecting something a lot worse. This seemed almost mundane, too mundane for a man like Kristoph.

 _There has to be more to this story. I have trouble believing there isn't._ As Apollo thought about it, silence drifted over the room. Kristoph was the next to speak up.

"Now, what were you planning to question me about?" Kristoph asked. "A certain piece of evidence you would like my opinion on? Something about what it's like to be imprisoned? Or perhaps you would like some advice for the trial tomorrow?" There was a sarcastic edge to his voice, especially regarding the last suggestion.

"I want to know about your relationship with the victim. When Klavier first told me about your case, he said you and Von Karma had a rivalry."

"A rivalry?" Kristoph snorted. "The Prosecutor's Office will do anything to get a conviction these days, won't they? Calling it a rivalry is definitely overstating things to create a motive where there is none. It was nothing of the sort. Von Karma and I faced off in court, but it was only for a single trial."

"Last time I checked, your reaction to a single trial got two people killed, so why don't you tell us about it?"

Kristoph leaned forward and locked his fingers together in contemplation. "It was during my early days as an attorney, just after I started making a name for myself. My client was a famous local politician accused of murdering a colleague. It was a very high-profile case at the time, one of the most high-profile I've ever taken, but is probably long forgotten now."

"And Von Karma was the prosecutor?"

"Yes. The trial went on for two days. Each of us fought to the best of our abilities, presenting whatever we could, but Von Karma eventually won out and my client was convicted. After that, he and I shook hands and went our separate ways. I had a new client and he went back to Germany soon after. That's all it was. Nothing more."

"Your client, was he innocent?"

Kristoph let out a soft sigh. Behind his glasses, Apollo saw his mentor's calm façade shatter for a second. Kristoph's eyes were filled with what looked to the young attorney like sadness and disquiet.

"To be honest, Justice… I have no idea."

He spoke the words slowly, before the sunlight reflected off his glasses. It hid his eyes from Apollo for a single second. When he caught sight of them again, whatever Apollo had seen inside them was gone, and Kristoph's cool defense was back up.

The former attorney slouched back in his chair. "He told me he was innocent but that's not exactly proof. Both Von Karma and I had evidence supporting our cases. I suspect that the prosecution will try to present this case as motive: that I killed Von Karma for besting me in court all those years ago and stealing the glory winning that case would have brought me. But like I said, it would be far from the truth. I managed to gain significant prestige from holding out as long as I did." He smirked, clearly proud of himself. "The case was considered unwinnable before I came along, and I put up enough of a fight that the prosecution made a deal with my client to avoid the trial going into a third day. I held absolutely no ill will towards Von Karma."

"That's a lie," Apollo said, clutching his bracelet.

Kristoph frowned and he stared at Apollo pointedly, not saying a word.

Apollo placed a hand on the nightstand as though it were the bench, then leaned forward. "You shouldn't lie to your attorney, Mr. Gavin."

"…Fine," Kristoph said, a small smile returning to his face. "I hold a little ill will towards Von Karma."

"Why?"

"During our trial, there was some evidence Von Karma used that I suspected may been forged. I have no proof and I'm not completely confident in my suspicions, which is why I didn't tell you about them. I don't want to ruin Von Karma's good name by accusing him of forging evidence. It's bad luck to speak ill of the recently departed."

 _Oh really? But ruining someone's good name by_ framing _them for forged evidence is fine by you, it seems._

He noticed that his other fist had clenched up. Yes, his former boss was beginning to tick him off.

"From what Warden Dent told me, Wilhelm Von Karma wasn't known for using forged evidence."

"That's true. Wilhelm never had rumours circling around his conduct like his brother did." He put his hands up. "Again, I have no proof, and my client was a famous politician. He had a lot of enemies, so even _if_ the evidence was faked, there were many people other than Wilhelm who could have done it. Either way, with my client's confession, Wilhelm was able to convince the judge to accept his sequence of events over mine. No one was really sure of anything in the end."

"You… never found out what happened?" Trucy spoke up. Apollo looked back at her, surprised.

Kristoph kept his answer short and casual. "No."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

He hadn't really acknowledged Trucy the first time, but now he did. His cold, piercing eyes turned toward her, but Trucy held her ground, meeting their gaze head on. Apollo could see she was shaking, and that her lip was barely trembling.

"Not really, Trucy," the disgraced attorney said. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes!" she almost yelled. "A defense attorney's job is to find the truth, no matter what."

Kristoph chuckled. "Actually, I think you'll find that a defense attorney's job is to defend their client, nothing more. It saddens me to see you're eating the tripe your father fed you, but-"

"You have no right to talk about my father! Or Daddy!"

Apollo gulped. Kristoph didn't like being interrupted. The disgraced attorney frowned and narrowed his eyebrows at her.

"You may think that, Trucy, but I'm telling you the truth. A defense attorney's job is to defend," he said. A small smile appeared back on his lips as he added, "It's in the name."

Trucy didn't react, just glared right back at him.

Apollo once again found himself having to change the topic. "What happened to your client?"

"He died a few years later in prison. And with him, any chance of ever finding out what happened." He sighed. "It's something you should get used to, Justice. The truth is a fickle mistress. Sometimes, it's best to accept that you're never going to find her and wash your hands of the case. I know that Wright is probably telling to never give up without finding the whole truth, but those ideas belong in garbage."

He had brought the conversation back to his boss, and Trucy wasn't having it. "That's funny," she said, a bitter edge to her voice, "because you're in prison, and Daddy's free. I think his ideas won out in the end, despite everything you tried to do."

Kristoph kept playing ignorant. "And tell me, Trucy, what did I try to do?"

"You know what you did."

"I'm not sure what you mean. Perhaps you could elaborate?"

Trucy was just about done with him and let it all out. "You got Daddy disbarred with your own _forged_ evidence and then you killed a person to cover it all up."

Kristoph pushed his glasses up, the glare once again hiding his eyes from the two of them. "I refuse to accept the accusations of such a flawed ruling."

"You killed my father!"

"Really, now? I was convicted of killing Shadi Smith, a man of no relation to you."

It looked for a second like Trucy was about to scream at Kristoph, but she didn't. Apollo guessed she finally realized Kristoph was doing this intentionally. She wiped her eyes and lowered her arms to her sides, forcing herself to calm down.

Kristoph cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, Justice, I have no motive to kill Von Karma. I'm innocent."

"Oh, you are definitely _not_ innocent," Trucy muttered, now bitter. She may have meant to only say it to herself, but Kristoph heard her.

"Unfortunately, Trucy, a person still has the right to a defense attorney no matter what they are guilty of. Legal defense is not something that's solely for the innocent. I know Phoenix thinks otherwise, but-"

She didn't say a word as she whipped around and stomped out of the cell, her cape flying behind her. Apollo could hear her footsteps as she marched down the hallway, not bothering to wait for him. He had nothing else he wanted to ask Kristoph at the moment, so he didn't bother trying to call out for her to come back.

Apollo turned back to Kristoph, who was sitting on his chair fingers locked together. His expression by this point was unreadable. A couple seconds ticked by in silence.

Finally, the former attorney looked at him and spoke. His voice was softer. "Apollo… she has no idea, does she?"

He didn't say what he was talking about, but he didn't need to. Apollo knew what he was referring to.

"No. The boss and I decided to keep her in the dark."

"I see." Kristoph sighed. "You should tell her. She's a bright young girl. She'll find out herself sooner or later, and she won't be happy when she does."

"I'll keep that in mind," was all he said before heading out after her.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's Chapter 13. Hope you liked it. We're moving closer to the first day of court. By my current plan, we should be there after 3 more chapters.**

 **If you like the story, feel free to leave a review. I appreciate the feedback.**

* * *

 **Court Record**

Profiles:

Apollo Justice

Age: 24

Gender: Male

Description: Me. I'm a defense attorney working for the Wright Anything Agency.

Phoenix Wright

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: My boss. The head of the Wright Anything Agency. A famous defense attorney who's well known in the legal system.

Trucy Wright

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Description: Mr. Wright's daughter and a young, talented magician. She's being threatened by the mysterious voice.

Athena Cykes

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Description: A rookie attorney who joined our offices a little over a year ago. She can hear the emotions in people's voices.

Kristoph Gavin

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Description: The accused. He's also my former boss and mentor. A disgraced attorney found guilty of murder.

Klavier Gavin

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Description: Kristoph's brother. A prosecutor for the district court. Also, a rockstar. Me and him are friends.

Warren Dent

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Description: The warden of the prison where Kristoph is imprisoned, and where the murder took place. Best not break any of his rules.

Virginia Freud

Age: 34

Gender: Female

Description: The prison's Chief Psychologist. Takes her job seriously… for the most part. She can act a bit unprofessional at times. Seems nice though.

The Mysterious Voice

Age: ?

Gender: ?

Description: A voice on a phone. I have no idea who they are, but they want Kristoph defended, and they're threatening Trucy's life to get me to do it.

Wilhelm Von Karma

Age: Deceased

Gender: Male

Description: The victim. A world-renowned prosecutor and opera singer.

Ema Skye

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Description: The lead detective on this case. She's been the detective in charge of cases in my past.

Franziska Von Karma

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Description: The prosecutor for this case. She's the victim's niece, and has some history with my boss. She also likes to whip people. Whip them good.

Mr. Beige

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A mysterious man wearing a beige suit and dark sunglasses. He has a high-tech cell phone jammer at his disposal. Who is this guy?

Miles Edgeworth

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Description: The Chief Prosecutor of the Los Angeles District Court. Also, a good friend of Mr. Wright's.

Ivan

Age: ?

Gender: Male

Description: A prisoner working for the Supplier. He says he's one of his boss' top men. Can I trust him?

Evidence:

Attorney's Badge

Description: My badge. It proves I'm a full-fledged defense attorney.

Mysterious Phone

Description: The phone the mystery voice used to call me. It was switched out, and now I have another one.

Opera Flyer

Description: A flyer for a night of opera on July 15th with Wilhelm Von Karma.

Magatama

Description: A strange talisman that belongs to the boss. It shows the secrets people are hiding as locks.

Nail Polish Bottle

Description: Found on the body. It's the brand Kristoph uses.

Box Cutter

Description: The murder weapon. Kristoph's fingerprints were found on it.

Packing Peanut

Description: Found at the crime scene. The type that would be used to protect fragile packages.

Bloody Handprint

Description: Found at the crime scene. It's slightly smeared. I have no idea who it belongs to.

Letter

Description: A letter we found in Kristoph's cell from Klavier. Mentions a concert of some sort on July 15th.

Receipt

Description: A receipt for a bottle of nail polish Kristoph ordered from the Supplier. Delivered today, but no one picked it up.


End file.
